Switching Sides
by xBrawlx
Summary: Issei storms away after being confronted by Rias and the girls. After their squabble, Issei is located by Vali and Cao Cao. After taking advantage of Issei's state of mind, he leaves the ORC and joins up with the Hero Faction. What will the three factions do now that the RDE has joined up with the enemy and how Issei will recover from what happened to him? [IsseixHarem & li]
1. A Grim Reminder

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to my new story, "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank those who took their time to vote for this story and those who supported me by following and favoriting me or my last story :)_**

 ** _I am looking forward to seeing your reviews, but please keep them civilized._**

 ** _Keep in mind that this story will not have an organized schedule like the last one which I used to update daily._**

 ** _I will update this story when I deem the chapter good enough which can take few days or few weeks so don't expect a daily update._**

 ** _I do have a warning that there will be bashing in this chapter which is aimed toward Rias and the rest of the ORC girls so keep that in mind._**

 ** _I made a small reference here that I think you will recognize :) It ties in with the name of the chapter._**

 ** _Now without further ado here is the Prologue for "Switching Sides" Enjoy!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or the source of the reference I made here._**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

It was evening, the streets of Kyoto were starting to empty while the people went home to their families, the shop owners starting to close down their stores as well.

Issei and the rest of the ORC were walking back to their hotel after meeting with Kunou, the daughter of the nine-tailed fox who thought that her mother got kidnapped by an unknown culprit.

At first, the young Youkai thought that Issei was responsible for the kidnapping of her mother, so she and a group of several Youkais attacked him but after clearing the misunderstanding Issei and the girls went to the young girl's home in order to talk about her mother and who she think kidnapped her only for them to find out by a messenger of the Youkai's that was sent to Kunou's home that her mother left without notifying her daughter for a meeting regarding the Youkai faction.

Issei and the girls were almost near their hotel when Issei suddenly spotted a beautiful girl sitting on a nearby bench while crying.

Issei did not know why but something about her aura made him want to go and cheer her up.

"I'll be right back" Issei excused himself before he started to make his way toward the crying girl.

* * *

Upon getting a closer look at the girl Issei gawked.

She had blonde hair that reached to her shoulders and blue mesmerizing eyes as well as a slim figure.

"Hey, are you ok?" Issei silently asked as he approached the crying girl.

The girl panicked at first thinking that someone wanted to harm her, but upon seeing Issei smiling at her, she relaxed.

"Eh? Oh...It's nothing" The girl said, avoiding to tell the brunette why she was crying.

"Are you sure?" Issei asked in a tender voice.

"Yeah...Thanks anyway" the girl said with a small smile that captivated Issei.

"Beautiful" Issei muttered as he looked at the charming smile the girl gave him.

The girl had wide eyes when she heard what Issei said before she started to blush like crazy.

"I-I'm B-Beautiful?" The girl asked in shock.

"Y-You heard me?" Issei asked in panic as he realized that he was heard.

"Y-Yeah...Did you really mean that, though?" The girl asked in doubt.

"I did...If I didn't know otherwise I would have thought that you were an angel sent from heaven" Issei said while blushing slightly with a small smile as he told the girl what he thought about her, making her blush intensify.

"S-Stop it," The girl said as she punched him playfully while smiling.

"Ok Ok" Issei said in defeat while lifting his hands up a bit in a playful manner.

"What is your name by the way?" Issei asked after remembering that he never got the girls name.

"Le Fay," The girl said, making her name known to the brunette who smiled in response.

"Nice to meet you, Le Fay, I am Issei" Issei introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you Issei and thank you for making me feel better," Le Fay said gratefully.

"No problem," Issei said before he gazed back to Rias and the rest who looked very irritated for some reason, making Issei very confused.

"It was nice meeting you Issei, but I have to go now. I hope we will meet again" Le Fay said as she started to get up from her seat and walk away.

"I hope so too," Issei said while waving the girl goodbye before he turned back to Rias and the rest.

"Sorry about this...Anyway let's go back to the hotel I am tired" Issei said after yawning.

The girls did not respond and instead just walked ahead towards the hotel.

The rest of the walk was silent much to Issei surprise, but he decided to shrug it off, thinking everyone was just tired as he was.

* * *

When Issei and the rest came back to the hotel room, they all entered their room and started to get ready to sleep.

Issei noticed that the girls seem to talk like usual with each other but for some reason ignored him and chose not to speak to him ever since he talked with Le Fay.

"Everyone, is something wrong?" Issei asked in curiosity, but he was surprised when he saw the girls glaring at him.

"Ise, for you what are we?" Rias asked in anger.

"What do you mean Buchou?" Issei asked perplexed, not understanding what Rias meant.

"How do you feel about us?" Akeno suddenly interjected, clarifying what her king meant.

"How I feel about you?" Issei said, running the question through his mind as he tried to come up with an answer.

"Well...You are my friends, my comrades and I care greatly about you" Issei replied with a smile, satisfied with his answer but his satisfaction did not live for long when he saw the girls reaction.

* * *

The girls were very upset when they heard how Issei talked with that girl from earlier and it made them feel doubt in their heart.

Were they not enough for him?

Sure he wanted a harem, but he already had them and as much as they hated to admit that, he did not treat them like he treated that girl which made them even sadder.

They started to remember all the times they attempted to interact with Issei in a romantic and intimate way.

They remember the looks of freight he had when he looked at them and how scared he was.

They were confused as to why the brunette they all loved dearly acted like this and when he asked them if something was wrong they decided just to confront him about his feelings towards them but when they heard his reply they wished that they would never have done that.

After hearing that he consider them as friends and comrades, they felt their hearts to ache and their rage to grow up.

At least that how they felt on the inside but on the outside, they were sobbing in sorrow.

"What's wrong?! Did I do something wrong?" Issei asked in panic after seeing the girls crying heavily.

The girls composed themselves before resuming their glaring at Issei who now jumped in shock at how they were looking at him.

He never saw them looking at him with such anger, and it made him afraid and confused.

"Do you have any idea what is wrong?" Issei asked Kiba, hoping the blond will be able to help him.

"Seriously Issei-kun? You don't even realize what you did? Jeez...I can understand very well what the girls are going through" Kiba said in aggravation.

"What do you mean? Do you know what is going on?" Issei asked in confusion and desperation.

"Yes but you need to figure this out on your own" Kiba deadpanned.

Issei did not respond and instead frowned from the blonde's sudden aggression towards him.

 _'Why is Kiba so mad? Seriously what the hell is happening?'_ Issei thought in confusion as he tried to comprehend the situation.

Issei was about to ask Rias what he did wrong so he could fix it before he heard her mutter something that made his heart to break.

"I never should have reincarnated you..." Rias muttered silently in anger and frustration, thinking no one heard her.

"B-Buchou...Do you really mean that?" Issei asked in sorrow, afraid to hear the Gremory Heiress answer.

Rias frowned upon realizing that she was heard and chose not to respond while the rest just looked at her in confusion as to what Issei meant.

 _'Did I really mean that?'_ Rias thought in confusion; her mind was in turmoil.

She loved Issei very much, but there were times that he really hurt her and the rest without even realizing it.

The frightened looks, the inconsideration towards their feelings as he flirted with a girl right in front of them.

But the worst thing for Rias was how he addressed her.

Every time he addressed her as Buchou and not in her first name made her heart to ache.

* * *

Everyone looked at Rias with confusion after hearing Issei question.

They were confused as to what Issei was talking about and why he sounded like he was in pain.

"Yes..." They suddenly heard their king say.

"Buchou...Please tell me that this is some cruel joke" Issei said in desperation, hoping with every fiber of his being that Rias didn't really mean what she said.

"I am sorry Ise, but there are sometimes when I think that I made a wrong choice reincarnating you," Rias said in sadness as tears once again cascaded her cheeks.

Everyone gasped in surprise when they heard what Rias said.

They thought that Rias loved Issei more than anything else after everything they have been through but hearing that she had doubts about her decision to reincarnate him made them very shocked.

* * *

Upon hearing what Rias said Issei's feeling was a mixture of sorrow, anguish, remorse and fury.

 ** _['Parner are you ok?']_ ** Ddraig asked after sensing the distress his partner was currently experiencing.

Issei did not answer which startled the Welsh Dragon.

He was asleep when he suddenly woke up in response to Issei intense feelings, and he was very confused as to why his partner felt like that.

"I thought you loved me, all of you but I was wrong...It's just like last time" Issei muttered silently, but he was heard by everyone who frowned in response.

"If you felt that way then you should have left me to die!" Issei suddenly shouted in anger, shocking everyone.

"Ise..." Rias said in sadness after witnessing the brunette outburst in anger, the rest looking at Issei in sorrow.

Issei did not respond and instead glared at everyone before he stormed out of the room in anger.

"Ise wait! Come back...Please..." Rias shouted in desperation while lifting her hand and pointing it towards the door like she tried to reach for it.

"What did he mean when he said like last time?" Irina asked in confusion, but she got no answer as everyone was deep in thoughts, trying to digest what happened right now except for one person who frowned after hearing Irina's question.

At first, she did not realize what he meant, but after thinking about it, she remembered the one person who scarred him for life.

"Raynare..." Koneko said with a frown after realizing what Issei meant.

At the mention of the fallen angel, everyone who were present back then snapped out from their train of thoughts and frowned as it dawned on them.

Raynare...They muttered as they thought about the fallen angel as the pieces started to come together.

The frightened looks, the need to have many girls to love him, the lack of reciprocating their feelings.

It all made sense...He still didn't recover from what she did to him.

"What have we done..." Akeno said as dread filled her and the rest.

"We have to find Issei-kun and apologize before it's too late, " Kiba said in urgency while hoping that they won't be too late to find Issei.

Rias just stood still with a look of emptiness.

 _'What have I done?'_ She thought to herself as she remembered what she said to the boy she loved so much.

She couldn't remember why she said that she regretted reincarnating him as her mind was in utter chaos.

"Rias are you ok?" Akeno asked her king in worry after seeing the empty look her eyes held.

Rias continued to look ahead while ignoring her queen question which made her worry to increase.

"Rias c'mon snap out of it!" Akeno said while she shook her king.

"Akeno?" Rias said after regaining her senses.

"Rias we have to go and find Issei as soon as possible" Akeno explained to her king with urgency.

"R-Right...Let's go" Rias said still a little shocked before they all went outside to search for Issei.

* * *

"I can't believe that after everything we've been through that's how they treat me" Issei said in disbelief.

"I thought that they loved me...Especially Rias but apparently I was wrong...Raynare was right" Issei said in sadness.

On this day Issei received a grim reminder.

A reminder of his time with Raynare and the things she told him which eventually scarred him for life.

He aimlessly strolled while contemplating about everything that transpired today before he found himself in a ruined shrine.

"How did I get here..." Issei asked no one in particular as he looked around the shrine.

"Hyoudou" He heard what appeared to be a girl calling him, he looked around the shrine to find the source of the voice and upon finding it he tensed up.

There stood Vali and Cao Cao, both looking at him with carefully.

* * *

 _ **[Boost!]** _ The Welsh Dragon voice echoed through the shrine as a bright light erupted before his red gauntlet appeared on his left hand.

Cao Cao and Vali looked unfazed at the summoning of the Boosted Gear.

Issei did not waste any time and got int a battle stance in preparation for the inevitable battle, but he was surprised when it didn't come.

"You're not going to attack me?" Issei asked in confusion to which the duo nodded.

"We didn't come here to battle Issei," Vali said with her tender to avoid provoking the boy.

"So why did you come here huh?" Issei spat out in ire.

"Relax kid; we just wanted to talk to you" Cao Cao interjected.

"About what exactly?" Issei asked impatiently; he had enough of this already.

"You joining the Hero Faction" Vali deadpanned which made Issei have wide eyes in response.

"J-Join you? Are you crazy?! There's no way I'll do that!" Issei exclaimed in pique, rejecting the ridiculous offer.

"And why is that? Are you content with being a Devil in that Gremory girl peerage?" Cao Cao nonchalantly asked as he gazed at Issei carefully, examining his expressions carefully.

Issei had frowned upon the mention of Rias before he answered Cao Cao.

"T-That's none of your business," Issei said in irritation.

"Perhaps but are you really happy being just a flashy toy for them? A source of power and nothing more?" Cao Cao asked in curiosity, making Issei pissed.

"Don't fuck with me! I am not just a source of power for them" Issei said with fury; refuting Cao Cao's accusation.

"Are you sure about that boy?" Cao Cao asked and just as he expected he saw doubt rising within Issei.

Cao Cao was no stranger to manipulating peoples; he was a very charismatic person that managed to convince many sacred gear users to join the Hero Faction by their own will or if there wasn't any choice brainwashing them into joining.

But he didn't need to influence Issei; he knew that if he played this right, he would manage to make the boy doubt his friends and join them but he had no idea that luck was on his side.

"I-I don't know..." Issei confessed in sadness; his head lowered down as his bangs covered his eyes.

If Cao Cao would have asked Issei that question a few days ago he would have no doubt but after everything that transpired earlier he wasn't sure anymore.

 _'Was I really just a flashy tool for them?'_ Issei repeated Cao Cao's words in his mind, trying to make sense out of them.

 _'There are times that I think I made a wrong choice reincarnating you...'_ Rias words heard in his mind, the painful confession of the crimson haired girl that shattered his heart.

 _'I guess I really was just the flashy Red Dragon Emperor'_ Issei had thought in sadness before anger started to grow inside of him as he remembered everything he did for them.

He was broken, the feeling of betrayal and sorrow clouding his heart along with the feelings of rage and loathing.

He didn't loathe the girls; he loathed himself for opening up for them and letting them penetrate the walls he erected after what happened with Raynare.

He thought that with them it would be different, that they will be able to heal the hole in his heart that was left by the vicious fallen angel but they just expanded it much to his dismay.

 _'Was this all an act? All those times they crept into my bed and tried to seduce me...Was it all so that I will stay loyal to them so they could take advantage of my powers until they deem them useless?'_ Issei asked himself in anguish as he realized that all the happy moments he had with the girls was just a facade.

"So kid...Do you want to join us and crush those who hurt you?" Cao Cao asked after examining the expression on Issei's face.

He looked hollow, like a part of his core has been ripped out.

Cao Cao started to feel sorry for the boy after seeing the condition he was.

He wanted to help the boy and make him understand that the supernaturals are nasty beings that should be exterminated because they will always hurt you to achieve their desires.

Vali for her part looked ahead with pity; she wasn't used to seeing her once ferocious rival this broken; she remembered the fights they had and how determined he was to protect the Gremory girl and her peerage, how he cared for them to the point that he laid his life on the line for them.

She would never admit it, but she found his determination and ferociousness very attractive to the point that she started to have a crush on her rival.

In this instance, Vali made a resolve that she swore to stick to regardless of what will happen.

 _'I am going to help him, I am going to mend the broken pieces of his heart regardless if he is my rival or not'_ She thought in determination.

She couldn't bear watching her rival in this condition, and she knew that if she wouldn't do anything, then his condition will just get worse.

"Yes," She suddenly heard Issei said, she was confused as to what he agreed to before she quickly remembered Cao Cao's question.

After realizing what he agreed too, she was shocked, but she expected it to happen at the same time.

"Very Well boy, I will get rid of your Evil Pieces then," Cao Cao said with a small smile.

"B-But I'll die!" Issei said in panic as he remembered the consequences of ejecting your Evil Pieces.

"Don't worry you won't die" Cao Cao reassured the panicked boy before he started to explain how exactly he will get rid of his pieces.

"I am going to stab your heart with my spear and release a burst of holy powers which will make your Evil Pieces eject out" Cao Cao explained much to Issei dismay.

"S-Stabbing my heart?! Are you insane?!" Issei asked in terror.

"Don't worry kid, you'll be fine, but there is a thing that you will have to do in order to survive this" Cao Cao said in a serious voice.

"W-What?" Issei asked after gulping; he was nervous from the sudden change of demeanor.

"You will have to become a Dragon" Cao Cao deadpanned.

"B-Becoming a Dragon?" Issei repeated Cao Cao's words, hoping he did not hear correctly.

"Yes or else you'll die" Cao Cao explained much to Issei dismay.

"I guess I have no choice than" Issei relented after realizing he didn't really have any choice.

It was either die or become a dragon.

* * *

Cao Cao stood in front of Issei with his spear in his hands in preparation to stab the boy's heart.

"This is going to be painful boy so be ready" Cao Cao warned Issei who frowned in response.

He did not waste any time and stabbed his heart, making the brunette scream in agony from the immense amounts of pain he was feeling.

Cao Cao tried to make this as quick as he could so the boy won't be in pain for long.

He released the burst of holy energy, making eight pawn pieces to eject from his body.

Upon seeing the Evil Pieces Cao Cao retracted his spear from the boy's heart.

At first, Issei stood there petrified before he collapsed a few seconds after.

 ** _["I'll start working on the transformation"]_** Ddraig voice was heard from the gauntlet as he begun to work on Issei's transformation into a dragon.

Ddraig already had knowledge of the plan as Issei briefed him on what to do before they started.

Vali stood there looking in pity as Issei laid unconscious on the ground after the ejection of his Evil Pieces, she felt sorry for the pain he had to experience both mentally and physically but upon witnessing it her resolve to help him became much stronger.

* * *

 ** _AN: That's a wrap for the Prologue; I hope you liked it :)_**

 ** _Don't forget to Review, Favorite and Follow._**

 ** _See you next chapter :)_**


	2. The Dragon Hero

_**AN: Hey Guys and Welcome to the second chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **I want to say that I am mindblown from the tremendous support you showed for this story, and it makes me keen to work on this story more after seeing the support.**_

 _ **I do want to address few things regarding this story so you will have a better knowledge about it.**_

 _ **This story won't be the typical "Issei is going to kill the ORC because he is mad" and rather a story that will focus on how the new girls in his life will help to heal his heart and to make him get over his fears as they try to gain his trust, his state of mind and mentality after the events that transpired with the girls and with Raynare is also going to be a major focus on this story.**_

 _ **I will do my very best to write the feelings in a right way and to expand on them a lot more than usually while also keeping it realistic and not making him recover way to fast.**_

 _ **His journey to recovery will take some time, and I will try to write it as accurate as I can to real life.**_

 _ **Now without further ado here is the next chapter, Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

"Issei-kun where are you? Please come back!" Irina shouted as she and the rest of the ORC looked around for Issei.

They have been looking all around Kyoto already, and so far there was nothing that could tell them where he went.

During their search, Rias did not speak a single word as she seemed to be deep in thought.

"How is this possible? We have been searching for hours, and we haven't found a single clue about where he is" Xenovia asked in frustration.

"I don't know Xenovia-chan, but we have to keep looking," Akeno said with determination as well, refusing to give up on searching for the brunette.

They kept looking around until they reached a place that looked like a ruined shrine that was in the outskirts of Kyoto.

"D-Do you guys feel that?" Akeno asked as they neared the shrine, feeling a weird and unusual aura coming from within the shrine.

"Strange," Koneko said with her stoic face as she looked at the shrine before she started to walk towards it, the rest following suit.

As they were getting closer to the shrine, the mysterious aura they felt began to get stronger, but something about it alarmed the Devils.

This aura was not the usual aura you would sense in a divine place like a shrine; it was something else, something...oddly familiar.

Upon entering the shrine they were met with the ruins, but in the middle of the shrine they saw something that made their hearts to sink as dread, panic and fear filled their souls.

On the floor of the shrine, they saw eight crimson pawn pieces that belonged to none other than Issei.

* * *

Rias who was still deep in thought as they entered the shrine snapped out of it the moment she saw her Evil Pieces.

Guilt and anguish started to fill the Switch Princess as she went ahead and picked up the Evil Pieces.

"Ise..." She muttered as tears began to emerge from her eyes before she broke down into crying.

After seeing their King break down into crying the rest of the girls and Gasper broke down as well except Kiba who just looked at the scene with wide eyes, still refusing to believe what he was seeing.

"I-I can't believe Issei-senpai is dead," Gasper said between sobs as he tried to wipe his tears away.

The rest of the girls only cried louder after hearing what Gasper said.

"I don't think he's dead Gasper-kun, because otherwise, we would have seen his body here" Kiba interjected, making everyone freeze as confusion and bewilderment filled them.

"S-So you say Issei-kun is not dead?" Irina asked in bewilderment, trying to cling to the bit of hope Kiba provided her.

"I don't think so Irina-san," Kiba said with a small smile, believing that his friend was not dead.

After hearing what Kiba and Irina said the rest of the girls managed to compose themselves.

"But how is that possible? He ejected his Evil pieces which mean certain death" Akeno refuted Kiba's assumption.

She like everyone else wanted to believe that Issei was alive but as much as she hated to admit it she knew that the odds for that are very slim.

"You may be right Akeno-sempai, but if he indeed died then we would have found his body here, so something doesn't make sense here, a " Kiba said.

Everyone's feelings were currently turmoil.

They did not know if they should feel hope that he may be alive or grief that he died.

They were utterly confused as to why his body was not there because as Akeno said, ejecting your Evil Pieces means instant and certain death.

One thing they all agreed on was that something did not make sense here and after thinking about it carefully, examining in their minds every situation that could occur here they all nailed it down to the only two situations that made sense.

It was either Issei miraculously survived the ejection or an unknown source was involved and stole his body.

"Everyone let's go back to the hotel, I will contact my brother tomorrow so he could help us," Rias said, drained from everything that happened today.

The rest just nodded before they all went back to their hotel room.

* * *

"Urgh...What happened?" Issei groggily asked as he woke up.

Recovered from his sleep, he looked around the room he was in but panicked as he realized that he did not recognize this room.

He continued to look around the room for anything that could help him understand exactly what happened until his eyes landed on a familiar person that sat in a chair near his bed and appeared to be asleep.

He saw a girl with a long and smooth silver hair, a very curvaceous body and a bust that could rival Akeno.

She had a choker on her neck and wore a blue shirt with another buttoned shirt above that looked like it was straining to contain her bust along with a red skirt that reached her knees.

 _'Wow this girl is beautiful...'_ Issei thought as he looked at the sleeping beauty before a thought came to his head.

 _'Now that I think about_ it she _actually looks familiar...'_ Issei thought in confusion, struggling to remember where he had seen this girl before but suddenly it dawned on him.

This girl was none other than his rival, Vali.

Upon realizing the girl's identity Issei started to panic as his eyes were wide.

His mind was working extra time as he tried to think where exactly he was and why Vali was sitting next to his bed before he remembered the events that took place yesterday.

As soon as he remembered everything that happened he remembered how broken he felt, how his heart was clouded with sorrow and betrayal as well as rage and self-loathing.

He frowned upon remembering what happened last night with the girls.

 _'...there are sometimes when I think that I made a wrong choice reincarnating you'_ He repeated the words his beloved King told him, the same words that broke him and made him feel so much sorrow, he remembered how everyone was ganging up on him because he tried to comfort that beautiful blonde who was crying.

 _ **['Partner are you ok?']** _ Ddraig asked as he woke up from his slumber after sensing his partner's emotions.

 _'Ddraig?...I-I don't know'_ Issei told his partner sadly, trying to hide his feelings from the Dragon.

 _ **['I know what you've been through Issei, I can sense how you feel']**_ Ddraig told his partner who was shocked in return

He realized that he could not hide anything from Ddraig so instead of trying he just relented and told the Dragon everything that was on his mind.

 _'I feel betrayed...I feel like the girls took what was left of my heart after Raynare and instead of mending it they broke it more'_ Issei started to say in anguish as he described his feelings to the Dragon who just stayed silent as he listened.

 _'I trusted them...I thought that they would be the ones who will be able to heal my heart and help me get over my fears after Raynare but in the end, they just made it worse **'**_ Issei continued.

 _'I don't think I could handle this anymore Ddraig...I don't want to feel like that again. I don't want to feel utterly broken and full of sorrow...I don't think I will be able to open up to any girls for a long time'_ Issei said in depression, after everything he's been through with Raynare and the girls.

 _ **['i understand partner...Who knows, maybe the girl who will finally heal you is right under your nose?']**_ Ddraig asked in an attempt to cheer his partner up, but the latter just shrugged it off.

 _'Maybe but I don't think so Ddraig.'_

 ** _['Until you find that girl I am going to try and help you heal partner']_** Ddraig told his partner with determination, reminding him that no matter what he still had him on his side to help him.

Like Vali, the Welsh Dragon could not stand to see how broken his partner was.

He felt like an entirely different person to him; he wasn't the usually cheery pervert who was interested in nothing but boobs.

Instead, he was a shell of his past self who was clouded with nothing but sorrow, betrayal and self-loathing and this made Ddraig very uncomfortable.

* * *

Issei was deep in thoughts after he finished talking with Ddraig.

He was thinking about his course of action now that he is not a Devil anymore and instead is a part of a terrorist organization that the three factions want to exterminate.

"Hyoudou? You awake?" Someone asked Issei in a tender voice.

After snapping our of his thoughts, he looked around for the source of the tender voice and saw Vali standing up and looking at him with a small smile on her face that she hid as soon as she saw Issei looking at her.

"Vali? Y-Yeah I am awake..." Issei replied with an empty voice that didn't go unnoticed by Vali who frowned in return.

"How are you feeling?" Vali asked with a small smile on her face that vanished as fast as it appeared.

"Fine" Issei said exasperated, making Vali to frown in response.

"Are you sure?" Vali asked, not letting go despite the brunette attitude.

"Like you really care" Issei rebutted in anger.

"What the hell has gotten into you Hyoudou? I am just trying to help you" Vali said in frustration.

"Since when do you want to help me? You always boast on how you are going to destroy me and that I am a weakling" Issei refuted, making Vali to frown in return.

"I do from now" Vali deadpanned, leaving no room for Issei to doubt.

Issei was very surprised from what Vali said, he never expected that his rival will care for him because so far she only claimed that she would destroy him and become the true White Dragon Empress so seeing how she suddenly care for him surprised him greatly but it also left him confused as to why exactly she started to care now.

"Why now?" Issei asked in a neutral tone.

"Because I saw how broken you were and I can't stand seeing my usual ferocious and full of determination rival that I came to lo...Erghh respect" Vali spat out in anger as she almost revealed her true feelings for her rival.

Issei on his part was awe-struck from Vali's statement.

He didn't think his rival would realize how he felt just from that night they met at the ruined shrine.

Her new attitude and newfound care for him made him actually feel better, but he still had doubts about how long exactly it will last and if she was telling the truth or she was burying it under her nice facade.

He couldn't help but notice the slip-up she had during her statement, and he had his thoughts about what she meant, but he decided against asking her what she meant to say in fear that she will get mad at him.

"Thank you" Issei muttered quietly for no one to hear but thanks to her enhanced senses Vali picked up exactly what she said, making her frown.

"What did you say?" Vali asked, wanting him to repeat what he said louder.

"I said thank you" Issei muttered loud enough, so it was audible without the need of enhanced senses.

Upon hearing him saying that again, Vali replaced her frown with a sincere and big smile.

She was happy that Issei had acknowledged her change of heart, and she hoped that in time he would be able to trust her completely but she wasn't going to stop here...

She wanted to mend the broken pieces of his heart back together, to tell him how she felt about him while hoping that he will reciprocate the feelings as well.

She wanted to be his collum which he can rely on in difficult times and that he would be hers, she wanted to restore him back to the same ferocious, determined and kind guy that she came to fall in love with.

She wanted to be there for him forever.

"Your welcome Hyoudou, I will do my best to help you" Vali replied to her rival, still with her big smile.

"Thanks again Vali, I appreciate it," Issei said, returning a big smile of his own that made the silver-haired girl's heart skip a beat.

"I have to go now Hyoudou but if you need anything let me know," She said before she turned around and left the room, leaving Issei with much to think about.

* * *

 _'Are you sure it was Vali, Ddraig?'_ Issei asked his partner in uncertainty after shortly Vali left the room.

 _ **['Indeed partner though I must say that her sudden change of heart is very nice to see']** _ Ddraig said in delight.

 _'Maybe...But I am still not going to trust her completely just yet, not after what happened to me with Rias and the others'_ Issei replied.

He couldn't afford to let his heart and trust be broken again; that would destroy him completely, and he knew it so he needed to be more careful about who he will trust.

 ** _['I see partner, but I don't think that Vali have bad intentions, I sensed that she sounded very sincere when she spoke']_** Ddraig interjected, telling his partner what he sensed.

Issei did not respond and instead resolved to give Vali a chance to earn his trust.

He would never tell Ddraig that but he found Vali to be a very attractive woman, and her determination to become the best was actually something that motivated him as he slowly developed a crush on her but after what happened with the girls and Raynare he wasn't sure she out of all peoples would reciprocate those feelings and he was afraid to reveal them to her, at least not yet.

* * *

"Did he wake up already?" Cao Cao asked as he saw Vali exiting Issei's room with a smile on her face while she looked like she was deep in thought

"W-What? Oh, Yeah he woke up" Vali said as her train of thoughts was broken by Cao Cao.

"That's good; I should go and pay him a visit later," Cao Cao said, content that the brunette woke up.

Vali did not say anything and instead nodded in approval before she went ahead to her room.

* * *

 _ **['Issei we need to talk']** _ Ddraig spoke in Issei's mind suddenly, alarming the boy.

 _'About what?'_ Issei asked warily; he knew that every time Ddraig said they needed to talk it was never about anything good.

 ** _['After your Evil Pieces got ejected I transformed you into a Dragon like you asked but you need to know the ramifications of that']_ ** Ddraig told his partner who for his part remained expressionless as he kept quiet, making Ddraig continue talking.

 ** _['Anyway you should know that since you are a full-fledged Dragon now, you will adopt some Draconic traits such as hardened skin and enhanced senses; mostly smell and sight, but you will also be very vulnerable to Dragon Slaying weapons and attacks, your strength and magic reserves will increase as well']_** Ddraig elucidated.

 _'Wow that's a lot to take in...'_ Issei said with a bit of shock as he heard the consequences of his transformation.

 _'Is there anything else I should know?'_ He asked, making sure that there wasn't anything Ddraig forgot telling him.

 ** _['Ah yeah there actually is, You will get some of my affinities and characteristics, but I am not sure which, so we will have to wait and see']_ ** Ddraig added much to Issei dismay.

 _'Ah...I see, well I hope it will at least be your good traits'_ Issei said with a bit of hope which ticked off his partner.

 ** _['What do you mean you hope? All my traits are good']_** Ddraig asked, offended from his partner's statement as he attempted to refute it by praising himself.

 _'Nevermind that'_ Issei said a bit nervous, he did not want to meet pissed Ddraig again.

The Dragon just grumbled something that Issei did not manage to hear except for a few words like "Boob Freak" and "Pervert"

* * *

 _ **AN: I hope you liked this chapter.**_

 _ **Don't forget to Review, Favorite and Follow :)**_


	3. New Life

_**AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the third chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **I want to thank those who supported the story by Favoriting and Following :)**_

 _ **I want to address something so you guys will understand something regarding the last chapter.**_

 _ **Some may think that Vali got off the hook for Issei too easily and that the interactions I wrote between them contradicted what I wrote in the AN's about Issei recovery but it's not.**_

 _ **Vali was someone Issei knew for quite a while and even then he still doesn't trust her, he just acknowledged her change of heart and is willing to give her a chance to gain his trust which she doesn't have now.**_

 _ **His feelings towards her will not be a significant factor in the process of her gaining his trust because he wants to be careful about who he lets in his heart and he is afraid to be burned off again like he has been two times already as he recovers he will change as well.**_

 _ **Regarding the Harem, those who are written in the stories characters (Le Fay,** **Vali** **, and Kuroka) are the only harem members so far, but I will make a poll in the future about which girl you want to see being added to the harem.**_

 _ **Regarding "The Maiden And The Dragon." Since "Switching Sides" got elected in the poll, I will give this story around 75% of my focus and it will always be one or few more chapters ahead then "The Maiden..." But don't worry the next update will be to that story.**_

 _ **Now without further ado here is the next chapter, Enjoy**_

 _ **EDIT: I had to take the chapter down shortly after uploading it because of an error so I apologize for that.**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

It has been a few hours since Issei finished talking with Ddraig about the consequences of his transformation.

At first, the brunette was very alarmed from the effects but as he thought about it more and more he realized that it was a small price to pay and that there are actually more pros than cons such as regaining his enhanced senses but without the sensitivity to daylight and hardened skin along with expanded magic reserves and increase in strength.

But as he was trying to adjust to his new life as a full-fledged Dragon he also had to adapt to another new life.

The life as a member of a terrorist organization that is hated by all the three factions.

Never in his life did he imagine himself aligning with them but he did not regret his choice, he saw how bad his supposed friends treated him and he figured that nothing could be worse than that.

*knock knock* A knock on the door was suddenly heard, making Issei jump slightly.

Issei didn't say anything as the person on the other side opened the door after hearing no response.

"Yo kid, I see that you are awake and well," Cao Cao said as he entered the room.

"Cao Cao? Y-Yeah.." Issei nervously said as he looked at Cao Cao a bit warily.

*Sigh*

"Listen, boy; I know that we have been enemies before but right now we are on the same side so you can stop being nervous around me" Cao Cao said, sighing as he saw how Issei was nervous around him.

"Sorry, but it might take me time to fully trust you or anyone in that matter" Issei admitted as he relaxed slightly, making Cao Cao a tad happier.

"Fair enough, I don't know what you have been through but from what I saw it was quite major," Cao Cao said in pity aimed at the brunette.

"I don't want to talk about it," Issei said as he averted his gaze downward to his thighs, dismissing the issue before it would get any further than that.

"I understand..." Cao Cao replied as he struggled to come with something to talk about instead.

"Why are you here?" Issei suddenly asked in suspicion.

"What do you mean boy? I came to check on you" Cao Cao replied, surprised by the sudden question.

"But that's not all of it right?" Issei refuted, making Cao Cao to sigh in defeat.

*sigh*

"I wanted to let you know that you will be introduced to your fellow members and new comrades tomorrow" Cao Cao revealed.

Issei for his part was starting to be filled with dread after he heard what Cao Cao said.

He wasn't ready yet to meet his new team and fellow members of the Hero Faction, he needed more time, but he really had no choice as he knew that he wasn't in any position to ask that.

"Are you ok kid?" Cao Cao asked as he noticed Issei starting to shake slightly.

"What? Oh, yeah I am fine" Issei said, trying to cover up how he felt.

"Ok then, I am going to leave now so if you need anything let me or Vali know," Cao Cao said, shrugging the brunette's weird behavior off.

"Ok" Issei replied as Cao Cao started to head to the door.

* * *

 _'What Am I going to do Ddraig? I don't think I'm ready for that yet'_ Issei asked the Dragon shortly after Cao Cao left.

 _ **['I don't know partner but you don't really have any choice, just try to do your best and pretend to be friendly for now until you actually do befriend them']** _ Ddraig suggested to his partner.

 _'That might work...Thanks, Ddraig'_ Issei said gratefully to his partner.

 ** _['No worries partner. I am going to return to my nap now so I will talk to you later']_ ** Ddraig tiredly said before he sunk into his deep slumber again.

 _'Seriously...What do you_ do _besides sleeping all day'_ Issei said in frustration but the only reply that came was snoring from the Dragon.

* * *

 _'Nothing is going to be the same ever again after tomorrow...'_ Issei thought sadly shortly after his talk with Ddraig as he realized that starting from tomorrow he will start his new life.

He thought what will happen once the three factions will come to know about his alignment with the Hero Factions and what they are going to do.

Even thought he wanted nothing to do with the girls he still had people who he cared for from the three factions such as Michael, Sirzechs, and Azazel along with Sona and her peerage who did nothing bad to Issei when he thought about it.

He was a bit sad that he lost a fair bit of his friends because of his new alignment, but he did not regret his choice because the more he thought about it the more it made sense to him that what Cao Cao told him on that night was true.

He was just a flashy toy for them, a source of power that was at their disposal whenever they saw fit, and he didn't know if he could still trust them or not after what happened.

He dreaded the moment where he will have to face all of them, and he hoped that it wouldn't be anytime soon.

As he started to think about all that his thoughts shifted to the girls as anguish and sorrow started to fill him.

He thought about Irina, Xenovia, and Asia who had a close and unique bond with the brunette.

Irina was his childhood friend, and Xenovia was like a lost lamb that grew up in the church not knowing anything until she met Issei who changed her perspective on everything.

Asia...He was her first friend, the one who he saved from his first girlfriend and the reason he awakened his Boosted Gear.

He then started to think about Rias, the girl who captured his fragile heart along as well as Akeno.

But thinking about them didn't give him any happiness. Instead, it filled him with the familiar feeling of anger and betrayal as he tried to relax by averting his thought to something else like wondering how they are all going to react once they find out that their flashy Red Dragon Emperor is now their enemy.

He thought about everything that could happen for hours until he found himself surrendering to sleep.

* * *

Issei woke up angry at the morning thanks to Vali knocking on his door repeatedly.

"Hyoudou wake up!" Vali shouted as she continued to knock on his door, increasing the intensity of her knocking each time she did not get a respond.

She was losing patience quickly and was just about to kick the door off its hinges when she suddenly heard the brunette shouting in exasperation.

"What the hell Vali? I am trying to sleep...Leave me alone" He shouted.

"Like hell, I will, you need to get ready for your introduction to the Hero Faction," Vali said as a matter of fact.

"But it's so early now..." Issei replied with frustration.

"It's noon already you sleepyhead," Vali said rather playfully when she suddenly heard a loud thud coming from inside the room, making her open the door in panic.

Once she opened the door, she was met with a sight that almost made her rolling on the floor with laughter.

She saw Issei on the ground with his blanket covering him while he struggled to remove it.

"Cute..." Vali silently muttered as she watched the scene unfold, but she got panicked when she saw that Issei stopped moving after her muttering.

"Hyoudou are you ok?" Vali asked nervously, gulping when she thought that he might have heard her.

"Yeah...This stupid blanket won't go off, though, can you help me instead of just watching me?" Issei asked in irritation.

Unknown to Vali he did hear her thanks to his enhanced senses, but he chose not to do anything but blush at the comment.

He loved Vali, but he wasn't ready to let her know that yet, not until he will recover from what happened to him.

Vali did not respond and instead just went ahead and removed the blanket from the brunette who thanked her in return.

After that incident, she stayed in the room as Issei started to get ready until she saw him change his clothes, making her blush and run out of the room, leaving a very confused Issei behind.

When he finished getting ready, he went outside and saw Vali leaning on the wall right beside his room.

"Took you long enough," She said in a playful manner as she got up from her position on the wall and started to walk away, signaling Issei to follow her.

* * *

When they reached their destination, Issei was met with a sight that made him panic.

He saw the entire Hero Faction gathered around and talking to each other.

He gulped upon seeing the amount of people that will dedicate their attention to him once he will be introduced.

"Are you ok Hyoudou?" Vali asked in a slight worry as she noticed Issei behaving differently.

"Y-Yeah...Just nervous that's all" Issei said with a shaky voice.

"It's going to be ok," Vali said as she flashed a smile to her rival in an attempt to cheer him up.

"I hope so" He replied still very nervous from what to come.

"Don't worry, I am not going to let anything bad happen to you" Vali said, but she was confused when she suddenly saw Issei turn crimson until she turned crimson as well once she realized exactly what she told him.

They both remained silent until Cao Cao made his appearance on the platform that was in the middle of the room and started talking.

"Hello everyone!"

"I am sorry for the abrupt summon, but I wanted to introduce you to our newest member," He said as he scanned the room for Issei and upon finding him he smirked.

"Please welcome the Red Dragon Emperor, Issei Hyoudou" Cao Cao said as he signaled for Issei to come up to the platform and stand beside him.

Issei for his part was dreading every moment but realized that there is no way back from this, especially after Cao Cao introduced him already.

He swallowed his fears and did his best to think about other things besides his anxiety as he went to Cao Cao.

Upon climbing the platform, Issei was very surprised from the excitement of the Hero Faction as they clapped and cheered for him.

This went for a while until Cao Cao finished talking about Issei and their next course of actions and when he was done talking about everything that he wanted he dismissed them back to their normal activities.

The room became empty in an instance except for Vali, Issei and Cao Cao who stayed there as they had to talk about Issei new team.

"This went very well..." Cao Cao said with a smirk as he remembered the massive cheering Issei got from the other members.

"Yeah," Issei replied shyly.

"Anyway...Before I dismiss you two as well, I wanted to let you know that you are both going to be teammates" Cao Cao said still with his smirk as he saw the reaction of the duo.

Vali was visibly happy as she flashed a big grin to Cao Cao, silently thanking him while Issei remained stoic on the outside while his mind was racing on the inside.

He thought about what is going to happen now that he is assigned to the same team as Vali.

Will their relationship improve or weaken?

Will he be able to trust her and the rest of the team which he didn't even meet yet? Especially now that his life could be depending on them.

Out of all his thoughts, one stood out in particular that made him the most anxious.

Will I mean something to them or I am going to be the flashing Red Dragon Emperor once again?

Thinking about all of this made him very uneasy, and to his dismay, this was noticed by Vali and Cao Cao who had worried looks on their faces.

"Kid are you ok?" Cao Cao asked as he saw Issei shaking slightly.

Issei did not answer him and instead just averted his gaze to Cao Cao who spoke once again in an attempt to make the boy relax.

"Listen, kid; I know it has been hard for you but at least give them a chance."

"Yeah Hyoudou, my team is actually made of good people, they are currently on a mission which they will return from soon, they were actually very understanding when I told them that I wanted to stay behind to look out for you" Vali said as she as well tried to make the boy relax which seemed to work slightly as his shaking reduced.

"How about you go and relax in your room and when they will be back I will call you to meet them?" Vali suggested which was received with a nod of approval from the brunette, making her smile in delight before she escorted him to his room.

* * *

Upon reaching his room, Issei went straight to his bed to relax as he went through today's event in his mind.

 _'Ddraig are you awake?'_ Issei asked in the hope that his partner was awake.

During this entire time, Ddraig was the only thing he could rely on to stabilize him, and he couldn't be more thankful for the Dragon.

 _ **['Yeah partner, what is it?']**_

 _'Do you think the same thing will happen with my new team'_ Issei asked vaguely but Ddraig understood it all too well.

 ** _['I don't know partner but the least you could do is give them a chance to prove themselves before you rule them out']_** Ddraig said, voicing his opinion on the matter.

 _'You're right but still...I can't shake this feeling that whoever I am going to trust will just end up doing the same thing Rias and Raynare did'_ Issei confessed in sorrow.

 ** _['I know but still...Not all people are like them']_** Ddraig said with venom towards the end.

It wasn't common for the Dragon to be mad at something but after he witnessed the uprising and downfall of the one he considered his partner by none other than those he trusted the most he felt sorry for him as his hate towards the Gremory peerage intensified.

 _'I guess...'_ Issei replied emptily, partly agreeing with the Dragon while doubt still lingered inside of him.

 ** _['Give them a chance partner, I am sure that you won't regret it...Don't forget that I am here for you whenever you need me']_ ** Ddraig said, encouraging his partner to give his new team a fair chance while also reminding him of his presence in case he needed support.

 _'_ Thanks _, Ddraig'_ Issei said gratefully to the Dragon.

 ** _['No worries partner, I suggest you should go to sleep, you had a rough day today']_ ** Ddraig suggested his partner as he sensed how drained he was both mentally and physically.

*yawn*

 _'Good idea...Goodnight Ddraig'_ Issei said tiredly after yawning.

 _ **['Goodnight partner']**_ Ddraig replied as he as well started to feel drowsy before he sunk into his slumber.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow, Review, and Favorite :)_**

 ** _I also wanted to say something regarding Ddraig._**

 ** _He will be a combination of slight OOC and his canon self so keep that in mind._**


	4. New Team

**_AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the fourth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank those who supported this story by Reviewing, Favoriting, and Following; it makes me really happy to see the overwhelming support this story gets :)_**

 ** _I also want to announce that I am making a poll about who I should add to the harem next so please go to my profile and vote for the person you want to see in the harem._**

 ** _The two peoples with the highest vote count at the end of the vote will be put in the harem._**

 ** _I also want to stress out that some things in this chapter will not follow canon._**

 ** _As I said before, some things had to be altered for them to fit the plot of the story and this chapter_ _has_ _few of those things which I also talked about at the end of the story._**

 ** _This chapter like the previous ones focus on Issei state of mind and feelings, but this chapter will take a darker turn so keep that in mind._**

 ** _I also want to warn that there will be some sexual things in this chapter so keep that in mind._**

 ** _I also wrote a few things in the ending AN's regarding that sexual content and the changes I made so, please read that as well before leaving a review :)_**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the next chapter, Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

It has been a week since Issei's introduction to the rest of the Hero Faction members and his talk with Cao Cao and Vali regarding his meeting with his new team.

During this week many things happened for the brunette such as many encounters with Vali which helped to slowly improve their relationship.

While Issei still did not trust Vali entirely, he was on his way there, but he knew that it will still take him time to fully let her into his heart and past the walls he erected after what happened with Raynare, Rias, and the girls.

Another thing that happened for the brunette in this week has been the beginning of his training with Vali and Cao Cao who expressed their desire to start training him on gaining control over his new draconic powers which he was still clueless about.

They also agreed that Issei will train with Ddraig in his subconscious every night in order to hasten the training process which by their estimation could take a few weeks, weeks that they didn't have as they had to prepare for the consequences of Issei joining their ranks and the potential increase in heat as the three factions would start to search for the Red Dragon Emperor in order to return him to them at all cost.

Issei at first was very excited for his training as he always looked forward to getting stronger, but his excitement did not live for long after he experienced the first day of his training. Instead, it was replaced with feelings of dread and terror every time he thought about the hellish training he has been put through as his wounds which mostly consisted of broken bones and flesh wounds were treated by Vali and Cao Cao.

At first, his training mostly consisted of physically training as he had to increase his physical strength so his draconic powers would not strain his body.

And so for the first few days, he trained non-stop and he was on the verge of collapsing but to his luck, Vali and Cao Cao announced that his physical condition is enough for now and that his training will be changed to focus on his draconic powers from now on which means that Ddraig will finally start to train the brunette in his subconscious, making the boy thank every god in existence for stopping the physical training while dread filled him when he realized that he had to start to train with Ddraig who was known to be a proud Dragon which meant that he would probably won't go easy on the brunette.

After he finished with the physical training they allowed Issei to take a few days off in order to relax his strained muscles which he gratefully accepted as he spent his first day off taking a relaxing bath before he went to his bed in order to finally sink into the deep slumber he has awaited for a long time.

 ** _['You have done a good job during this week partner']_ ** Ddraig spoke in Issei mind, satisfied with the progress his partner made.

 _'Thanks, Ddraig...'_ Issei replied tiredly, a bit of sadness could also be heard in his voice.

Although Issei looked like he has made big progress in his recovery from what happened with Rias a week ago, this wasn't the case as the boy only pretended to be more at ease with other people after Ddraig constantly asked him too.

He was still very scared of putting his trust in people as well as struggling to befriend new peoples as well.

Issei also kept to himself as he never really spoke when the situation didn't deem it necessary for him.

The only people he would talk to from time to time were Ddraig and Vali.

He still had nightmares in the nights as he constantly dreamt about the time he spent with his first girlfriend, Raynare and his time in Rias peerage with the girls.

His most repeated dreams were his first date with Raynare who killed him at the end of it and of that night a week ago at the hotel in Kyoto where Rias told him something that crushed the few fragments of his heart that were left by Raynare.

 _'I am sorry Ise, but there are sometimes when I think that I made a wrong choice reincarnating you'_ was the sentence that haunted his dreams and plagued his brain many times as well as remembering things that didn't actually happened which he knew would have happened if the girls were to add to what Rias said that night instead of staying silent.

"I'm sorry for ever befriending you when we were children" Irina spoke in his dream.

"I shouldn't have asked for your help when I searched for the church" Asia also spoke in his dream, both her and Irina had looks of pure hate as they all glared at Issei.

While the rest of the ORC also said similar stuff those two hurt him the most as it came from the two girls he cherished the most, his childhood friend and the ex-nun who he came to consider as the sister he always wanted.

Much to his sorrow Issei was not a stranger to waking up with tears flowing from his eyes from when he slept, his heart clouded with anguish and despair after the memories from the dreams refused to leave his mind.

 _'Goodnight'_ Issei told the Dragon before he finally sunk to his long awaited slumber which at the same time was something that he dreaded as he hoped this time he would be allowed to have a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Vali was laying on her bed after the tiring day she had.

Today was the final day of issei's physical training for the mean time, and she couldn't be happier with the progress her beloved brunette made.

She began to remember the events that happened during the last week, oblivious to the smirk that now adorned her face.

Vali looked back at the progress Issei made mentality, and she frowned, she knew that despite his best effort to conceal it, he was still broken inside.

She slightly giggled when she realized that she could read the brunette like an open book no matter how hard he tried to close down to which he probably wasn't even aware too.

As she thought about all this, a memory entered her mind, one that she mistakenly allowed herself to forget during the last week, making her eyes widen as she gasped in realization.

Tomorrow was the day that her team would return meaning that their inevitable meeting with the brunette she loved was closer than ever.

She started to panic as she thought that Issei was still not ready for this, her mind working extra to find a solution to the problem.

After spending a long time with struggling to come up with a solution, the silver-haired girl proceeded to ask her partner for help in solving this problem.

 _'Albion I need your help'_ Vali spoke to the Dragon in her mind, hoping he wasn't asleep like he always would when she needed him the most, making her really frustrated as she sometimes wished she would have gotten a different Dragon as her partner, one that would spend more time on actually helping her instead of sleeping.

She eventually gave up after not receiving a reply from the sleeping Vanishing Dragon.

As she was about to go to sleep, she suddenly heard Albion talking in her mind.

 ** _['What is it that you need my help with Vali?']_ ** Albion asked in a tired voice as he woke up from his slumber after hearing his partners call for help.

 _'It's about Hyouodou...'_ Vali said to which the Dragon stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

'He's going to meet my team tomorrow once they get back from their mission and I don't think he's ready for that yet, so I want to help him, but I don't know how' Vali explained with frustration as she felt helpless.

Albion did not answer immediately; he took some time to come up with a proper solution for his partner.

The Dragon never was fond of his rivals hosts as he considered them weak and dishonored unlike his partners who were always strong and noble, or so the Dragon chose to think.

But in Hyoudou's case, it was different; he was the only host of Ddraig that the Vanishing Dragon was actually fond of Issei after learning all about him from Vali.

He also knew how strong the silver-haired girl feelings were towards the brunette and her resolve to help him only made him more proud of his partner who he already considered as his best one so far.

He would never admit it but he wanted to end his rivalry with Ddraig for some time now, and with Vali's strong emotions towards Issei this could finally be possible, making the Dragon quite happy.

 ** _['Hmmm...I don't know what could you possibly do other than just being there for him when he meets them, maybe try to hold his hand as well']_ ** Albion suggested after struggling to come up with a better answer.

Vali's options for helping the brunette were pretty limited and they both knew that.

 _'I see...Thanks, Albion'_ Vali replied, grateful for her partner's help.

 ** _['My pleasure Vali. You should also let him know about the meeting as soon as possible so he won't freak out and attempt to avoid it']_** Albion interjection started to make Vali sweat bullets as she realized that the possibility of Issei just running off from the meeting with her team is more than just a possible option.

If she wouldn't be able to help him, then it's exactly what's going to happen.

 _'Your'e right Albion, I'll go to tell him first thing in the morning'_ Vali said to which the Dragon just growled in acknowledgment before they both sank into their much-desired sleep.

* * *

Vali woke up quite early this morning which was unusual for the silver-haired girl as she would always sleep until late.

Not really knowing what she could possibly do at this hour, she went to train a bit at the gym they had inside their HQ, something that she would do very often.

She had trained for two hours before she went outside to the battleground to train on improving her attacks with Albion who she hoped was awake as well.

 ** _['You should practice on the new mode you and Ophis started to develop a few weeks ago']_** Albion suddenly spoke in her mind, confirming the girls hopes to be true which made her happy.

 _'You think so?'_ Vali asked with a small smirk on her face as she remembered her new attack.

 ** _['Yeah, it's still in very early stages, and you still have a lot of practice to do before you can actually use it, it does look very promising']_ ** Albion said, voicing his opinion on the new mode with happiness evident in his voice from the tremendous growth his partner was showing.

Vali did not answer and just hummed in acknowledgment before she got into a battle stance.

"Balance Breaker!" Vali had shouted before she was enveloped in a bright light.

 ** _[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker]_ ** Albion voice roared through the battleground as the light died down, revealing Vali clad in her white scale mail.

Upon entering her Balance Breaker Vali started to focus on drawing her Lucifer powers and combining it with Albion powers, something which she learned was possible from Ophis who also gave her her blessing.

* * *

 ** _(Few Weeks Ago...)_**

"You wanted to see me Ophis?" Vali asked in curiosity as she entered the Ouroboros Dragon room,

She was told by Cao Cao earlier this day that Ophis had an urgent matter to discuss with her which made the silver-haired girl spend her entire day thinking what could Ophis possibly want that it would be so urgent, but she and Albion who was also surprised from the urgent summon couldn't come up with anything.

"Yes Vali, I wanted to talk to you about your powers, " Ophis vaguely said which made Vali cock an eyebrow in confusion while inside she felt a bit excited.

Vali was well known for being obsessed with powers and wars but what only a few people also knew was that to her comrades and friends Vali was one of the nicest and caring persons as she would always value them a lot.

"Ok then, what is it?" Vali asked, eager to know what Ophis meant with his powers while leaning as close as she could.

"Right now you possess two primary power sources" Ophis started to say.

"One is the power of Albion, The Vanishing Dragon and the second is your Diabolic powers which you inherited from Lucifer, your grandfather" At the mention of his grandfather Vali had his eyes widen in surprise.

"What I wanted to talk to you about is the possibility of creating a new mode for your Longinus by infusing your Lucifer powers with Albion powers," Ophis said in her emotionless voice as Vali's jaw dropped to the floor from what she said.

"Is this really possible?

"Yes, but sadly you cannot do this in your current situation but I believe that you will be able to obtain this in a matter of few months," Ophis said, making Vali's excitement die down a lot after hearing this as he slumped his shoulders.

"I see...Is there anything I could do in order to fasten the process?" Vali asked, hope clearly evident in his voice.

"You could try to increase the training you make with your Dragon and Lucifer powers in order to hasten your magical growth but you will also need to grow physically" Upon hearing this Vali perked up a bit as hope started to slowly return to her.

"I am also going to give you my blessing which would grant you some advantages," Ophis said to which Vali's jaw dropped a second time.

"Thanks Ophis!" Vali said gratefully before Ophis cut her off with an abrupt question to which Vali did not expect.

"How are you going to name your new mode?" Ophis asked in interest which was a very unusual behavior to the Dragon God who rarely showed any kind of emotions.

Vali stayed quiet as she thought a new before a big grin appeared on her face.

"Diabolos Dragon Lucifer"

 _ **(Flashback End)**_

* * *

Issei woke up quite early himself as he was once again having a nightmare about the girls that plagued his mind.

He wiped off the tears from his eyes, something that much to his dismay he was already used too before he got up from his bed and started to prepare for the day.

As he took a shower his nightmare from last night refused to leave his mind just like any other nightmare that he had but, like always it eventually faded.

After he finished getting ready for the day he went to get something to eat before he went to train a bit at the battleground.

* * *

As Issei reached the battleground he was met with a sight that made quite a few emotions to build up inside of him.

Arousal, Lust, Curiosity, Affection and Anguish were the emotions he felt as he saw Vali who panted in exhaustion as she sweated a lot which aroused the brunette as well as the outfit she was wearing for her training which consisted of a tight tank top which strained to contain her bust as well as tight sweatpants which showed off her ass.

He also felt affection as he remembered that this was the girl who despite being his rival came to love dearly as well as appreciate as he saw how hard she tried to fix him which made him feel anguish as he knew that she must have a really hard time.

The brunette was also curious as to why Vali was working herself so hard so he decided to closely observe her.

The more he observed her training the more he was surprised as he saw how strong his rival was.

He was so focused on the training that he didn't notice Vali who now looked at him as she called out to him before she started to jog towards the observing brunette

"Hyoudou? Why are you up so early?" Vali asked as she stopped right in front of the brunette and eyeing him up which made her blush madly as she noticed the bulge in his pants.

Issei who looked at Vali saw the direction she had her gaze set on and the heavy blush that appeared on her face was confused at first before he made the math and he as well started to blush furiously when he realized that Vali noticed his erection as she realized that she was the cause of it.

"I-It was hot in my room so I couldn't sleep" Issei lied, hiding the fact that he had yet another nightmare in order to not worry Vali.

Upon hearing Issei speak Vali got out of her trance and averted her gaze to the boy's face.

"I-I see..." She said as the blush on her face only intensified.

"I think I should go...I am actually really hungry" Issei said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his heart beating like crazy as it threatened to burst out if his chest.

"Wait! I need to talk to you about something" Vali said in as serious voice which startled Issei a bit.

Issei did not speak and instead waited for Vali to start talking which she did.

"Today my team is coming back from their mission which means that you will meet them today..." Vali started to say to Issei who frowned in return.

She couldn't say that she didn't expect this reaction, in fact, she expected worse but to her luck, she had a plan.

"I know you are worried but me and Cao Cao will be there as well and you know that I wouldn't let anything bad to happen to" Vali reminded the boy who blushed once again from what she said.

Vali herself did not blush as her mind was too distracted with Issei and her meeting with the team.

"Everything is going to be ok," Vali said as she placed her hand on his shoulder in order to reassure the boy before she started to walk off towards her room in order to take a much-needed shower, a huge smile was on her face from the happiness she was feeling.

"I am going to take a shower so I will talk to you once it's time to meet the team," She said as she kept walking away from the brunette who told his goodbyes in return before he as well went to the cafeteria in order to grab something to eat.

* * *

 ** _(A Few Hours Later...)_**

It was now time for Issei to meet his new team.

He was pacing his room back and forth for the last half an hour as he tried to calm down from the sheer anxious he was feeling.

Issei dreaded this moment ever since his talk with Cao Cao and Vali at his introduction to the Hero Faction a week ago.

 ** _['Partner you have to calm down']_ ** Ddraig told his partner in worry after sensing his distress.

Issei did not respond but after hearing what his partner said he started to take deep breaths as he slowed down his pacing.

By the time he calmed down a knock on the door could be heard before it was opened by Cao Cao who now stood at the entrance with Vali.

"It's time kid, are you ready?" Cao Cao asked Issei as he noticed the sweat on the brunette's forehead.

"Y-Yeah," Issei said weakly before he started to follow Cao Cao and Vali to the main hall to meet his new team.

* * *

During the walk towards the main hall, no one dared to speak a word while Vali and Cao Cao would look at Issei from time to time to see if he was doing ok.

They knew how scared the boy was and they both agreed to do their best to ease it up for the brunette.

As they got to the door of the main hall both Cao Cao and Vali stopped in their track before opening the doors as they averted their gaze to Issei.

"Here it goes kid, I hope that you're ready" Cao Cao said before he opened the doors and went inside with Vali and Issei following suit.

* * *

As Issei entered the main hall his gaze quickly landed on the unfamiliar faces before he saw one face that he knew all too well which made him frown.

He could never forget her.

Her blonde hair that reached her shoulders, her blue eyes, her slim body and the alluring aura that calmed the brunette down.

This was none other than Le Fay Pendragon, the crying girl who he cheered up on that night.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite and Review :)_**

 _ **I do want to address few things that were in this chapter.**_

 ** _The last interaction with Vali and Issei in the battleground was made for a reason which will be explained next chapter so don't worry._**

 ** _Regarding the "Diabolos Dragon Lucifer", I have no idea how it was created in canon and how the name came to be but that's my version of it._**

 ** _As I said there will be some alterations from time to time for the sake of the plot but I will always try to make them minor._**


	5. Reintroductions

_**AN: Hey Guys and Welcome to the fifth chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed and Reviewed the story so far!**_

 _ **The voting about which two harem members should be added is still up so go and vote because the results so far are very close to each other and each vote matters.**_

 _ **I do want to stress something about this chapter before you jump to possible conclusions but those things will be at the ending AN's to avoid spoiling the chapter before it even begun so check the ending AN's as well :)**_

 _ **Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

Le Fay and her team were in the main hall of the Hero Faction waiting for Vali, Cao Cao and someone who apparently is supposed to join their team to arrive.

They have just come back from their mission, and they didn't want anything else than just to go back to their rooms in order to sleep but that plan got shot down the minute they came across Cao Cao who told them about their newest addition and asked them to wait for him and Vali to bring him to the main hall later.

The entire team were exasperated by this decision but decided to comply regardless, and so they spent the last hour in the main hall doing nothing.

"Once Cao Cao and Vali arrive I'm going to teach them a lesson for making me wait, Nyaa," Kuroka said playfully with a devilish smirk as her mind though of every possible teasing that she would give Vali and Cao Cao.

"Please don't Kuroka-sama, I am sure that they have a good reason for why they are late," Le Fay said in her tender voice as she smiled at the Nekoshou.

Le Fay was a very happy, enthusiastic and easy going girl. She was also very polite as she will address everyone, friends or foe with the honorific "sama."

"Nyaya...We'll see Le Fay, but I can't promise you that I'll be able to hold it" Kuroka said while giggling.

Kuroka was a very easy going, playful and simple minded person who always enjoyed teasing peoples a lot. She is a very vulgar woman who uses her incredible beauty and seriousness as a weapon for her teasing.

Le Fay was about to protest when the doors to the main hall opened and Vali, Cao Cao and their new teammate entered the room.

The rest of the team focused on Vali as they missed her a lot during their mission, all except one who gasped in surprise as she stared at the new arrival with her eyes widen in pure shock.

"I-Issei?" Le Fay asked the brunette who was staring at her in astonishment.

"L-Le Fay? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were a part of the Hero Faction" Issei asked in bewilderment after composing himself from the initial shock.

"I-I am..." Le Fay stammered out as her cheeks got red when her mind started to go back to her first meeting with Issei.

Le Fay remembered the meeting with Issei like it was last night. She remembers storming out after arguing with her brother, Arthur, about what part she should play in the upcoming mission.

She wanted to be more helpful to the group, and Arthur who feared for her safety insisted that she stays back while they deal with the enemy who got Le Fay very upset, making her storm out while starting to sob.

She remembers sitting on the bench in the middle of Kyoto while crying when a strange brunette approached her which made her startled thinking that the brunette was hostile but upon sensing his intentions she was very surprised when instead of hostility she found kindness and a sincere desire to help.

 _'Beautiful...'_ She remembered Issei muttering silently, making her flabbergasted as her cheeks turned crimson.

 _'Did you really mean that thought?'_ She recalled asking in skepticism since no one ever called her beautiful before.

 _'I did...If I hadn't known otherwise, I would have thought that you were an angel sent from heaven'_ At this memory, her heart skipped a beat like it did when she first heard Issei saying that.

She was so deep in her reminiscing that she didn't notice the large smile that crept on her face or the stares she received from her teammates who were shocked as they witnessed Le Fay's reaction to Issei who they were sure never met before.

"Le Fay? Are you ok?" Issei gently asked as he looked at the girl who stood petrified in her spot as a large smile appeared on her face.

Upon hearing Issei call out to her Le Fay came back to her senses while flushing before she did something which she never thought she would.

She ran to Issei as fast as she could before she embraced him so hard that they both fell to the ground, making everyone stare in bewilderment at the girl's strange behavior.

* * *

Issei was very surprised when Le Fay ran to him at full speed before embracing him while tackling him to the ground.

He didn't think that the blonde even remembered him from that night but apparently she has and she was very excited to see him which made Issei feel something he hasn't felt for some time now. He felt happiness.

He knew that this blonde would never betray his trust like Raynare, Rias, and the girls did back then. She was just too innocent and kind to do that.

Her aura, the same alluring aura that attracted the boy to her had a feeling of pureness, one that even Asia couldn't rival which made the brunette quite surprised but never the less happy.

He returned Le Fay embrace as he laid on the ground on her on top of him while starting to chuckle slightly, making everyone in the room especially Vali and Cao Cao very surprised.

For Le Fay's team it was a surprise since they didn't expect Issei to react that way as they thought that he never meet Le Fay before while for Vali and Cao Cao their bewilderment was because of the fact that ever since Issei joined them he never once laughed, and they were happy to see that he did now.

As they all got over their initial response they all looked at the duo with smiles on their faces before Arthur, Le Fay's bigger brother, interrupted that moment.

*cough cough*

"Sorry for intruding on this lovely moment but may I ask you how exactly do you know my little sister?" Arthur asked the question which was on everyone's mind the minute they saw Le Fay's and Issei reactions to each other.

Upon hearing the question both Le Fay and Issei blushed before they both released each other from their embrace and stood up while sheepishly rubbing the back of their head as they started to recount the events that happened between them.

* * *

After Le Fay finished telling the story of how she met Issei she was met with faces of pure bewilderment. Especially from Cao Cao and Vali who looked like their jaws has dropped to the floor.

During Issei's entire time at the Hero Faction never did he mention this story or Le Fay which made them upset as they realized that even after this whole time he still did not trust them completely.

They couldn't deny that the brunette has indeed made progress in his recovery, but to their dismay, the progress has been minor compared to what they expected. Thus deciding to have a talk with the team regarding Issei after the initial meeting is over.

"Wow...I didn't expect my sister to meet you, The Red Dragon Emperor, out of all peoples in the short time she spent in town after our argument" Arthur said in slight disbelief although he wouldn't show it much as he kept his polite and civil composure, a force of habit from his noble family.

Le Fay upon hearing her brother address Issei as the famous Red Dragon Emperor or as she knew him the best, The Oppai Dragon, gasped in astonishment, her eyes widening as well.

"Y-You're the Oppai Dragon?" Le Fay asked, making Issei blush while he rubbed his forehead awkwardly.

 ** _["What have I done to deserve this?"]_ ** Ddraig asked as he sobbed inside Issei subconscious as he thought how his title as the mighty Dragon of Domination was now tarnished in favor of a title of a breast loving Dragon.

Issei who heard Ddraig sobs started to feel sorry for his partner as he thought about the times he stood by him in his hardest moments such as his heart breaks as he tried his best always to provide Issei with his opinion and solution that he saw fit at the time. He remembered his life as a goofy breast loving person when he was at Rias peerage where he had no worry in the world except for an occasional fight but now, his life as a member of the most infamous terrorist group, the Hero Faction, did not give him the benefit of being goofy as he was, nor he desired to stay like this after what happened to him with the girls in his life and upon realizing this Issei decided that he will restore to both himself and Ddraig the title of the Dragon of Domination who can make Gods perish.

Sure he would still love women very much and will cherish their assets greatly, but instead of boasting about it, he will keep it to himself to not make Ddraig's grieve even greater than it already was.

"Y-Yeah but I am not going to be any more" Issei replied to Le Fay after making his resolve, making both the blonde and the Dragon within him as well as the rest of the occupants of the room shocked.

"Why? I thought you liked being the Oppai Dragon" Le Fay asked as tears started to drop down her cheeks as she learned about Issei decision to stop being the Oppai Dragon she admired dearly.

"I did...In my old life but now, after what happened to me I decided to change" Issei weakly said as sadness could clearly be heard in his voice, making Le Fay curious as to what he meant by saying "What Happened to me" but she decided to delay further questions on it until she had an opportunity to ask the brunette.

"I know that you are probably sad for losing a character that you admired and I am sorry for that but don't worry, no matter what I will not let you be sad" Issei said with a newfound smile and determination as he gazed at Le Fay with eyes that showed his determination never to let the blonde be sad.

* * *

Issei was feeling many emotions in what's left of his heart. He felt sorrow, determination and for the first time for quite a while, trust.

He felt sorrow that he left behind the last remains of his old self in favor of his new life but never the less, he did not regret this decision.

Determined always to keep Le Fay happy no matter how he felt as he knew that the girl did not deserve to feel sadness in her life, especially not the same kind of sadness and sorrow he felt. He knew that the girl was special, her aura transmitted how pure and innocent she was, how joyful and thankful for every moment in her life she was and how she cherished her friends and family above everything else and a person like that do not deserve to feel sorrow or heartbreak.

Issei knew that no matter what, he could trust Le Fay, but as his mind told him to trust her, his heart told him a whole different story as it still struggled to mend the broken pieces that were made by Raynare and trampled by Rias and the girls until there were only small shards.

For now, the brunette decided that he will do his best to try and trust Le Fay while also keeping his promise never to make her sad regardless of whatever he trusted her or not.

But one thing he knew, no matter how long it will take, his heart will not be able to mend it's broken pieces alone.

* * *

"Issei have you met the rest of the team yet?" Vali's question made Issei snap back to reality as he quickly averted his gaze to the silver haired girl who had a small smile and a blush on her face as she looked at the dazed brunette.

"N-No" Issei awkwardly replied as he realized that he was caught dozing off before he looked at his new team again and upon landing his gaze on a raven haired girl something tugged him in the edge of his mind that this girl was familiar to him from somewhere.

"Wait...This girl looks kind of familiar to me" Issei said as he pointed at Kuroka who cocked an eyebrow in surprise from being pointed out by the brunette before she quickly composed herself back.

"I would have remembered it if I knew someone as handsome as you are Nyaa," Kuroka playfully said as she scratched the air like a cat, making Issei flush for what seemed like the tenth time in the past hour.

After Issei had got over his blush, he stared at the raven haired girl intently as he searched for clues about where he might have met her before until he noticed a detail that made him instantly remember who she was.

"Wait a minute! You are Kuroka, Koneko's sister!" Issei exclaimed in victory as he figured out who the girl was who tensed up at the mention of her little sister.

"You're that pervert who was in the Gremory peerage along with my Shirone right? Can you please tell me how is she doing?" Kuroka asked while dropping her playful attitude in favor of asking for her sister's well-being as she held Issei by his shoulders while looking straight into his eyes.

Koneko or rather Shirone was a very sensitive matter for Kuroka as she always felt bad for how she left her little sister and how her sister hated her after she killed the King of her peerage in order to save both of their lives. She knew that no one but herself knew the real motives of killing her King which made the Devils job of framing her as a ruthless stray an easy task and thus making her little sister hate her which broke her heart as she knew that her little sister wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. But Kuroka didn't give up to her heartbreak as she always tried to stay cheery and happy while she teased her friends, waiting for the chance to finally repair her relationship with her little sister to come.

* * *

Issei felt bad as he saw the sadness and worry for Koneko in Kuroka's eyes.

He learned about what happened between the two Nekoshou and their history when he spoke with Koneko after their first encounter with her during the young Devil gathering a few months ago.

He hated Kuroka for what she did to her little sister but upon seeing the worry Kuroka expressed about her sister well-being in their encounters a part of him began to believe that maybe Kuroka was not a ruthless stray Devil who killed her King for no reason, maybe she had a motive that no one knew about?

The longer he pondered about it the longer the part that believed it grew as his hate for the black Nekoshou started to fade away and instead replaced by feelings of pity for the girl's unfortunate life.

"Last time I saw her she was doing fine...But that was more than a week ago" Issei told Kuroka in a weaken voice, making the Nekoshou form a huge smile on her face before she kissed Issei in happiness and gratitude as Issei told her that her sister was doing good.

Vali and Le Fay frowned as they saw Kuroka abrupt display of affection, both blushing as they continued to stare at the duo while intense jealousy rose within them, hoping that it would be them instead of Kuroka.

They heard what Kuroka and Issei spoke about and they could understand the bliss Kuroka was in after learning about her sister and why she kissed Issei but still, they couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy.

* * *

Upon breaking the kiss between them quickly after it was made by a very surprised Issei who was happy about the sudden affection Kuroka showed him. But while he was happy his mind and heart were another cases as his heart reminded him of how broken it was while his mind reminded him why and how. Making the brunette drop his internal happiness as he returned back to his depression.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just so grateful that you told me about my sister" Kuroka said in sadness as she apologized to the brunette.

"Why exactly are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong" Issei reassured her as he felt bad after hearing the sadness in Kuroka's voice while being oblivious to the frown he had on his face that made Kuroka recoil as she thought that she did something wrong.

"Y-You looked like you were hurting...So were you?" Kuroka asked him, making him tense up from the question he didn't want to answer.

"I...Rather not talk about it..." Issei said before he turned around and went to Cao Cao.

"Can I leave now? I want to be alone" Issei said weakly as he looked at Cao Cao who grimaced upon seeing the sadness in Issei's eyes.

"Sure kid..." Cao Cao said which made Issei start walking towards the door right away, not bothering to say goodbye to Le Fay and Vali who were engaged in a talk with Kuroka, all looking like they enjoyed themselves.

* * *

As the doors for the main hall closed with a loud thud everyone looked around to see who entered the room or in their case left it.

"Issei?" Vali asked in surprise as she noticed the absence of her beloved rival, Le Fay and Kuroka matching her surprise upon noticing his absence as well.

"He left to be alone..." Cao Cao said still with his grimaced expression which made Vali to frown as she knew that this did not mean anything good.

"Is Issei ok?" Le Fay who was not aware of Issei current state of mind and emotions asked in worry while her eyes started to glimmer, indicating that tears threaten to burst out of her eyes any moment now.

"He is far from ok..." Vali said sadly, making everyone but Cao Cao, Bikou and Arthur who remained awfully quiet during this meeting as they did not match the enthusiasm the girls felt, resolving into getting to know Issei in a more manly way like sparring.

"W-What do you mean? What happened to him?" Le Fay asked as the tears she was holding started to show themselves.

"I don't know exactly what happened but when me and Cao Cao went to recruit him he just looked so broken... He was not the Issei I knew and battled, he was a shell of himself as he did not even ponder about Cao Cao's invitation to join us, he just accepted it immediately while agreeing with what Cao Cao told him instead of refuting it like he would usually do"

Kuroka and Le Fay did not say anything due to being baffled upon hearing about Issei's extremely unusual behavior.

They both grimaced upon theorizing what could have possibly make the happy, kind, carefree and perverted brunette to behave like a shell of himself.

Both remembering the interactions they had with Issei such as his meeting with Le Fay and the moment he and Kuroka shared just a few minutes ago as well as their previous interactions like in the young Devil gathering where the Nekoshou witnessed Issei's determination and kindness to his friends as he did everything he could in order to protect Koneko.

Both pondered about it for a while still with their grimaced face before it was replaced by a hardened face.

"We don't know what happened to Issei and we cannot bear watching him like this so we will do our best to try and heal him!" Both Kuroka and Le Fay said, voicing the conviction they reached which made Vali and Cao Cao to have a sincere smile on their faces.

"Very well then. The three of us should do our very best to restore Issei back to how he was before" Vali said as she and the girls raised their hands to the air, showing their acceptance of their task of healing the broken brunette.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow and Review!_**

 ** _Regarding the things I wanted to stress out. Despite what it seemed like, Issei is still far from recovering from what happened to him but he is starting to make very slow progress as he comes to realize that he will not be able to recover alone but it will still take him some time to find and trust those who will be bale to help him but he is on his way towards that._**


	6. A Cruel Past

_**AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the sixth chapter of "Switching Sides"**_

 _ **I want to thank those who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed the story so far :)**_

 _ **The poll regarding the harem members will be closed down next chapter so make sure to vote for the two additions you want to see in the harem.**_

 _ **I also want to address something very important regarding my stories as it came to my attention that some readers are criticizing other readers for their opinions about my stories which I do not appreciate at all.**_

 ** _Everyone have a right to express their opinion regardless of if it's a bad one or a good one so please don't criticize people just because they like or don't like my stories or certain elements in it._**

 ** _If anyone has a question regarding anything about my stories, then you can feel free to PM me and I will gladly answer your questions as long as you keep it civil._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

 _ **(Three Weeks Later...)**_

It has been three weeks since Issei met his new team which consisted of Vali, Le Fay, Kuroka, Arthur, and Bikou. During those three weeks, Issei and his team went on several missions such as eliminating monsters who were a threat to the Hero Faction as well as retrievement and recruitment missions in order to retrieve Longinus or recruit their possessors to the Hero Faction.

They were currently waiting for Cao Cao who was supposed to meet them in the main hall to brief them about their upcoming mission which the latter exclaimed to be crucial for the Hero Faction.

While they waited, Issei thought about the missions he's been through with his team and how they were affecting their growing bond.

One of those missions was to steal one of the artificial Sacred Gears that Azazel made from the Grigori which was a very special mission for Issei because this mission allowed him to see one of his teammates in a whole new light.

* * *

 _ **(Flashback)**_

Issei and his team were currently infiltrating the Grigori headquarters in order to retrieve the artificial Sacred Gear Cao Cao asked them to steal.

Much to their dismay they barely had any information about the Sacred Gear other than how it's supposed to look which was described by Cao Cao as a sword with a mixture of light and darkness. Cao Cao did not tell them why exactly he required this sword, but they figured out that if he asked them to retrieve it, then it most have some high significance to the Hero Faction, so they decided not to question his motives further and just agreed to the mission.

They were about to enter the building when Le Fay suddenly stopped them.

"Wait! Before you enter, please let me cast a spell on you so you won't be easily discovered by any sort of surveillance Azazel-sama might have placed" Le Fay asked her team politely with a small smile on her face from being able to help her team avoid detection thus making them safer.

"Thanks, Le Fay," Issei weakly said as he matched the blonde's sincere smile with one of his own, making Le Fay to blush.

While it has been a week and a half since Issei joined the team he still did not talk to them a lot and resorted to staying quiet unless the situation required otherwise.

But Issei had an exception for his behavior. This exception was a certain blonde magician he promised never to let her be sad, so he did his very best despite his mental state and always tried to talk to Le Fay and praise her but despite praising her to make her happy he also found her abilities very intriguing and cool meaning his praises were sincere.

"Please refrain from moving while I cast the spell," Le Fay asked as she took her wand and started to chant a spell on the others.

"Okay I am done now" Le Fay said a few minutes after she started the spell, making everyone but Arthur who already knew this spell to raise an eyebrow in confusion as they did not feel any difference at all which was later changed as their mouths were agape when they looked at their hands and saw that their hands were almost completely transparent which meant that the spell was a success and they were now invisible.

"Let me explain how the spell works. You can see each other, but people who were not cast with the spell cannot see you" Le Fay explained.

"Good job Le Fay!" Vali had praised the blonde before her face retorted into a serious expression as she motioned for everyone else to come closer to her so she could start to detail their plan.

"Ok listen up! We are going to infiltrate the lab where Azazel creates his Sacred Gears. Stay behind me and under no circumstances break the formation since we do not know what kind of security Azazel has in this place since I know how much he values his creations you can expect an high-leveled security" Vali explained while everyone listened closely, making sure they did not miss a single detail the silver-haired girl told them because they knew that if they did then they could find themselves in a very dangerous position.

Instead of replying they all kept quiet and nodded instead when Vali finished explaining the plan.

"Ok then...Let's do this" Vali said before she and the others entered the building.

* * *

Vali and the others were roaming around the building to find the lab where the sword is stored, but so far they did not find anything except for some Sacred Gears which were described by Vali as "Abominations that shouldn't have been created," Making the others sweatdrop.

They were at the upper level of the building when they suddenly heard two people talk which made them all panic before they remembered that they cannot be seen thanks to Le Fay's spell.

"That's sounds delicious! I will definitely give it a try the next time I travel to France" One of the people said which made Vali tense up as he recognized the voice.

"Vali what's wrong?" Issei who was right behind Vali asked in worry after seeing the silver-haired girl tense up.

"I-I know this voice...That's Tobio. He grew up with me in the Grigori. We were like brother and sister back then" Vali explained as she started to sweat bullets upon remembering the boy who was like a brother to her.

Issei frowned upon hearing what Vali said as he started to feel pity for her when he realized that she might have to face against Tobio who she considered being like a brother to her.

Issei placed his hand on Vali's shoulder, surprising her from the sudden contact before he leaned on and spoke gently into her ear in order to assure the girl as well as not to be heard by Tobio and the other person.

"I know what you probably feel right now, but it's going to be ok...We are not going to hurt them unless we have too and even then we will only fight them in order to stall time until we retrieve the sword" Issei said which made Vali to visibly calm down after hearing the assuring words of the brunette she loved.

"Thank you Issei, I appreciate it," She said thankfully.

Issei did not reply and instead focused on Tobio and the other person who was still unknown to them which made them a bit afraid since his aura was one of sheer power.

"You should. I might tag along with you so I could find more cuisines" The unknown person replied to Tobio.

"I'm looking forward to that Dulio," Tobio said, and upon the mention of Dulio, The strongest Exorcist, Vali froze in horror.

"D-Dulio?! What the hell is he doing here?" Vali asked in bewilderment as dread started to fill her, making her team confused as to why she was so shocked by the appearance of Dulio.

"Vali what's wrong? Why are you so scared of this Dulio person?" Issei asked in confusion as he was not used to seeing Vali reacting that way to her opponents.

"Dulio is no one to joke about...He is the strongest Exorcist to ever exist as well as the possessor of the second most powerful Longinus, The Zenith Tempest, which from what Azazel told me can control the weather and the elemental attributes that exist in nature" Vali explained, making everyone match her shocked expression.

They were starting to wonder how they could face such strong opponent like Dulio if they were to be found out. No one uttered a single word, but one thought ran through everyone's mind at that moment.

 _'We have to find this sword as soon as possible, or we'll be dead.'_

They were about to start moving when they suddenly saw Tobio looking at them intently which made them gulp nervously.

"Hey Dulio, I smell something weird over there," Tobio said as he pointed at the direction of Vali and the others who sweated bullets by now as the possibility of them being discovered became close to reality in every passing second.

"Now that you mention it, I do sense a weird aura in the air," Dulio said after realizing that something was indeed off.

Being the possessor of a Longinus that can control the weather and elements of the nature he knew exactly how those felt and this air was not the usual air he felt, this air was filled with new and unknown auras which made him curious as well as impressed that whoever possessed those auras managed to hide it from them until now.

He matched Tobio's gaze and looked straight at the transparent Vali and the rest of her team before he suddenly lifted his hand and pointed it towards them before a bolt of lightning erupted from his hand and towards Le Fay who stood idle in her place despite noticing the bolt of lightning that was heading her way.

She closed her eyes and prepared for her demise which never came as she noticed Issei looming over her with his left hand which was covered by his gauntlet stretched out towards the incoming lightning bolt.

"Issei..." Le Fay said as tears started to appear in her eyes when she realized that Issei just saved her from certain death.

Issei did not respond and instead just looked at Le Fay with a tender smile, thankful that he managed to save her.

"Well Well... Who might you all be?" Dulio asked in a carefree voice as he gazed at the now visible Team Vali when he suddenly heard Tobio gasp in astonishment.

"V-Vali?! What the hell are you doing here?" Tobio asked in astonishment as he saw his figurative sister standing right in front of him while looking at him intently which surprised him since he never saw Vali this serious before.

"We came here to retrieve something" Vali deadpanned vaguely, making both Dulio and Tobio's curiosity to increase.

"Oh? And what exactly do you wish to retrieve young lady?" Dulio asked as he examined the silver-haired girl who he now knew as Vali as well as the others who were standing beside her.

"You'll have to defeat us in order to find out," Vali said in a serious demeanor before a bright light suddenly erupted in the room. Making everyone temporary blind.

 ** _[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker]_** Albion's voice roared through the room as the light died down, revealing Vali in her white armor.

"The legendary Vanishing Dragon huh? I am looking forward to seeing if the legends about your strength were real" Dulio said with a smirk before another light erupted in the room.

 _ **[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker]**_ Ddraig's voice roared through the room as well, revealing Issei's in his armor which surprised both Dulio and Tobio who did not expect to see both Heavenly Dragons standing right in front of them as a team.

"Well Well... It seems that the two Heavenly Dragons finally kissed and made up? Let's see how strong you are now that you are working together" Dulio teased as he was unfazed from the appearance of both Dragons.

Vali and Issei both became flushed as they heard Dulio's teasing before they quickly composed themselves and started to prepare for battle.

"Don't worry you'll find out soon enough" Issei said before both he and Vali charged at Dulio.

"Tobio, please stay out of this, for now, I want to see how powerful they are" Dulio asked before he entered his battle stance, Tobio just nodded in agreement as he stepped aside to observe the fight.

* * *

Dulio stood in his battle stance ready for Vali and Issei to make the first move at him.

Dulio wasn't fazed by the Dragon duo although he was surprised to see the Welsh Dragon possessor there as he heard good things about him from Michael which apparently were not relevant anymore since he was now allied with the Hero Faction. He considered this fight as a mean to pass the time as well as getting a rough estimation of what he hoped will be their full powers which will help the three factions a lot during their fight against the Hero Faction.

His train of thoughts was cut off as he sensed two fists heading towards his face which he quickly avoided by grabbing them, surprising both Issei and Vali who did not expect this.

They both broke out of this hold by kicking his stomach which succeeds as they managed to escape his hold and push him back a few meters.

"I am quite surprised that you managed to push me back," Dulio said in sarcasm as he dusted off his clothes while Vali and Issei remained a safe distance from him, examining his every move.

"Now...Let me show you what I am capable off" Dulio had said before he stretched his hand towards the ceiling, making Issei and Vali perplexed as nothing happened, but their perplexion did not live for long when suddenly a thunder was heard before lightning came crashing down right onto's Dulio's hand, breaking the ceiling in the process.

Issei and Vali looked in awe as they saw Dulio taking the lightning without harm before it stopped and instead he was holding an orange ball in his hand.

"Now...Shall we begin?" Dulio asked while smirking at the Dragon duo before he threw the ball at them, making them panic as they saw the fast speed the ball traveled at which barely gave them a chance to dodge it so instead Vali decided to take the attack head on in order to protect Issei despite the heavy damage she may suffer, and so she quickly went in front of Issei and closed her eyes as she prepared herself for the upcoming pain she will feel only that it never came, so she opened her eyes and what she saw made her terrified.

She saw Issei standing in front of her with his back turned to her as he crossed his hands in front of him in order to defend against the lightning ball.

"Issei!" Vali shouted in horror and worry for her rival.

"I'm fine don't worry Vali, " Issei said in reassurance, but Vali knew otherwise, she could read him like an open book, and right now it said that he was lying, but she decided to confront him about his stupid action later.

"You are going to pay Dulio," Issei said before he dashed at Dulio once again with his fist stretched out as he tried to deliver a fatal punch at the Angel who dodged his fist once again.

 ** _[Boost x10]_ ** Ddraig voice was heard through the room, signaling Issei's power up which made Dulio smirk.

Issei who stood right behind Dulio after the latter dodged his fist vanished from his position before he quickly appeared in front of Dulio, delivering a fatal fist that connected with his jaw and sent him flying to the ceiling.

"That was awesome Issei!" Vali shouted with enthusiasm as she saw the fist Issei delivered.

Issei did not respond to Vali and instead just flushed underneath his helmet before he went towards Le Fay and the others who watched the fight with awe.

"Le Fay you should prepare to teleport us out of here while Kuroka and Arthur try and find the sword," Issei said to which everyone nodded before they split up.

"That's not nice to turn your back on your opponent" Dulio's voice was suddenly heard which made Issei turn around instantly as he saw Dulio who recovered from his fist standing there and looking at him with an expression he could not read.

"Don't worry this will be the last time" Issei said before they resumed fighting.

* * *

 _ **(Half An Hour Later...)**_

Issei was visibly struggling to keep up with Dulio's insane strength as he dodged yet another elemental attack. The brunette thought that after half an hour the Angel would give up, but he didn't instead he continued to attack in the same way he attacked when the fight just started.

Vali was focusing on providing backup to Issei when he needed it as well as keeping a close eye on Tobio who she feared would enter the fight or go after Kuroka and Arthur.

"You disappointed me Vali, I never thought you would betray Azazel and join the Hero Faction," Tobio said to his figurative sister who looked to be unaffected by his statement on the outside thanks to her helmet hiding the frown she had.

"Things happened Tobio, things that you do not need to know about."

Tobio did not answer her and instead continued to gaze at her like he was looking for something which irritated Vali who wanted to kick him for that but decided otherwise as she knew that it would be a terrible idea.

They both continued to look at each other when a loud explosion was heard, making both of them to avert their gazes at the source.

What they saw made both of their jaws to drop as they saw Issei's attack collide with Dulio's Angelic attack as both of the attacks struggled for dominance.

Issei's attack was his Dragon Shot which was heavily boosted thus making it much stronger than usual while Dulio's attack was a light spear covered in lightning which moved in insane speed thanks to Dulio's altering the air with his Longinus.

 _'Hurry up guys'_ Issei thought as he saw Dulio's attack start to overcome his own.

"I must say, you were a worthy opponent Red Dragon Emperor" Dulio complimented with a victorious smirk as his attack consumed Issei's

Issei looked ahead in dread as he realized that he could not dodge Dulio's attack and just stood still before an idea came to his mind.

"Ascalon!" Issei had shouted before a bright light erupted from Issei's left hand.

 _ **[Ascalon Blade]** _ Ddraig voice roared in the room and once the light died down Issei had Ascalon coming out of his left hand's gauntlet.

'This better work' Issei thought as he hoped with every fiber of his being that the Holy sword will be able to deflect the light spear as he knew that this was his last resort.

The brunette brought his left hand backward before he punched the light spear with Ascalon, reflecting Dulio's attack much to his surprise as he looked with wide eyes at what happened.

There was utter silence in the room while everyone looked with awe at what happened when Issei and Vali heard something that made them both release the breath they were holding.

"I know how much you two enjoy fighting, but I think we should go now that we have the sword Nyaa" They heard Kuroka say while holding the sword they were looking for.

Both Issei and Vali quickly dashed towards the others who now stood beside Le Fay.

"I hope we'll meet again Red Dragon Emperor," Dulio said as he looked at the retreating duo with a content smile after a good fight.

"We will" Issei replied before he and the rest were teleported by Le Fay.

* * *

Once Le Fay finished teleporting them out of the Grigori labs, they found themselves in a middle of an unknown forest which confused them as to why they didn't get teleported back to the Hero Faction's HQ. They asked Le Fay if something went wrong which she responded by telling them that she didn't build up enough magical energy in order to teleport them back to HQ because it was far away so instead she teleported them as far as her magic allow her too.

"Well, we should spend the night here before we go back to HQ" Vali suggested as she looked at her teammates and saw how drained they were from what happened. She looked at the skies and saw that it was already dawn.

"Good idea. We should set up a fire and then talk about how are we going to keep guard during the night" Bikou suggested in a tired voice.

* * *

Issei and the others sat around the fire Le Fay made thanks to her magic as they waited for Arthur to come back from scanning the surrounding area for potential threats such as thieves or monsters.

As soon as Arthur came back a few minutes afterward, they started to discuss who will guard the camp and when. In the end, they decided that each will guard for two hours and that Kuroka will be the first and then Le Fay, Arthur, Bikou, Vali, and lastly Issei.

Shortly afterward everyone but Kuroka and Issei who continued to sit by the fire went to sleep.

"Kuroka what's wrong?" Issei asked in worry as he saw Kuroka staring at the fire, a sad expression could be seen on her face.

"Wha..? Oh, nothing's wrong Issei don't worry" Kuroka said sadly which surprised Issei who expected to be teased by the black Nekoshou.

"You can't fool me Kuroka so tell me what's wrong" Issei refuted which made Kuroka tense up visibly.

"I'm just thinking about Shirone and how she is doing right now" Kuroka replied sadly.

"I'm sure that she is doing fine Kuroka, so you don't have to worry," Issei said in reassured which seemed to make the black Nekoshou lighten up slightly.

"I guess...I just wish that I could be with her again. It pains me to know how much she hates me after what I did" Kuroka replied which made Issei to frown in response.

"What exactly did you do? Koneko told me that you killed your King because you were drunk with your own power but I think that there was another reason for that am I right?" Issei asked as he looked at Kuroka who had her eyes widen in response as she stared at the brunette in utter shock.

"Not all Devils treat their peerage like that Gremory girl...My master used to abuse me and the rest of the peerage so we would get stronger. He had no mercy on us as he was too obsessed with gaining powerful members of his peerage..." Kuroka started to explain as Issei listened closely as he will finally learn the truth about the black Nekoshou.

"I wanted to kill that bastard for what he did to my friends and me but I couldn't...I was scared that if I killed him, then it could endanger Shirone since I will become a stray Devil but this changed when one time he told me something that made me break..." Kuroka said, trailing off at the end as tears started to flow from her eyes. Those memories were painful for her to remember.

"What was it?" Issei asked in curiosity as he placed his hand on Kuroka's shoulder, encouraging her to continue. He felt pity and rage as he heard what Kuroka has been through and how ruthless her master was.

"He told me how he will reincarnate Shirone and how he will make sure she will become powerful and how exactly he planned to do it...At that moment I didn't care for becoming a stray Devil. I just snapped and killed him so Shirone would never experience what I've been through...After I had killed him, I realized that my biggest fear was now a reality, I was a stray Devil that killed her master which could put Shirone in danger so I had to escape while hoping with every fiber of my being that no harm will come to Shirone. As I was about to leave, I saw her looking at me with a face that I could never forget. A face of utter terror as she saw her bigger sister killing her master" Kuroka said before she completely broke down into sobbing.

After hearing Kuroka's past Issei couldn't help but feel enraged as he realized that the girl did nothing wrong and the ones to blame was the Devils who looked aside while that master abused his peerage. He felt sorry for Kuroka as he realized that she did what she did out of concern for her friends and her little sister.

"I'm so sorry that you went through all that Kuroka, but everything will be okay I assure you. I will not let anything bad happen to you ever again" Issei said as he enveloped Kuroka in a tight embrace.

He looked at Kuroka, and he saw a different person. Instead of the black Nekoshou who always used her beauty and sensuousness as a mean to tease people. He now saw a woman who he could partially relate to He saw a woman who has been through a lot of hardships in her life, a woman who is determined to fix her broken relationship with her sister who she cherished more than anything and after seeing Kuroka in this new light he couldn't help but start to feel affection towards her despite his broken heart but he knew that it would take him some time before he could act on this affection just like it would take with his affection towards Le Fay and Vali.

Kuroka did not respond as she was too shocked from what Issei told her so. Instead, she continued to sob into his clothes, but those weren't tears of pure pain anymore. Those were tears of happiness as she finally felt safe and happy after hearing Issei's resolve.

"Thank you..." Kuroka muttered silently between her sobs.

 ** _(End Flashback)_**

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow,_ _Favorite_ , _and Review :)_**


	7. The Mission

**_AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the seventh chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank those who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed so far as well as addressing few important things regarding the story._**

 ** _First is something that I saw very commonly in the reviews which are why Issei is mad at the girls when Rias was the one who said she regretted reincarnating him._**

 ** _Well, the reason for that is that they didn't show any disagreement with Rias or even talked to Issei which made him think that they too felt like Rias._**

 ** _Another thing is Issei's relationship with Vali, Kuroka, Le Fay and the future additions to the harem._**

 ** _Right now Issei has an affection towards the girl in some way or another (either romantic or not as you'll see in this chapter) but that doesn't mean that he is close to acting on this affection or that he trust them which will be further explained and detailed in this chapter._**

 ** _Now, I am happy to say that the new additions to the harem are... Ophis and Yasaka who got an incredible advantage on their votes, leaving dust to the other candidates._**

 ** _This chapter will also show you how I intended to introduce a certain candidate to the harem but after the vote results, she will not be in the harem and instead she will have a one-time appearance._**

 ** _Now, if you have any further questions regarding anything, please voice it in the reviews or PM me in a civil way._**

 ** _Now, Without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

Issei and his team were exasperated as they were waiting for Cao Cao who was already an hour late from the initial time he said he would meet them.

Right now they were still in the main hall of the Hero Faction's HQ which was where they would usually get briefed about their upcoming missions. They were all silently waiting before it was broken by Kuroka who was seemingly not quite happy about the delay.

"When I see Cao Cao I swear to God that I will make sure he will not be able to get any girl pregnant," Kuroka said with a devilish smile as her dark aura started to flood the room which made all the boys to shudder when they heard what she said. Making them put their hands on their crotch in a defending manner.

"Kuroka-sama please calm down I am sure that Cao Cao-sama has a good reason for being late," Le Fay who seemed not to be bothered by Cao Cao's delay told Kuroka in her kind and tender voice which managed to calm the black Nekoshou for the mean time.

"Fine...But he better has a good reason or else..." Kuroka replied with slight less ire as her dark aura started to calm down which made the boys to sigh in relief as they released their hands from their crotch.

Le Fay was about to respond when the doors to the main hall suddenly opened, revealing the long-awaited Cao Cao entering the room with a blonde woman by his side which arose Issei cock his eyebrow in curiosity as he did not recognize the woman.

From what he could see she has a blonde, smooth hair that reached her middle back. She also had black eyes and an average sized bust.

Her clothes were made of a very short purple skirt that reached her knees, and a black sleeveless shirt which Issei assumed after catching sight of her rapier was done to reduce the potential restrictions her clothes could provide to her when she uses her rapier.

He looked at her before he spotted something coming from her right shoulder and upon focusing on it his eyes widened when he realized that this was the grip of the same sword he and his team stole from the Grigori's lab a few weeks ago.

"Hello everyone, sorry that I'm late" Cao Cao said as he and the blonde girl neared the group.

"Pff...Took you long enough" Kuroka said with venom in her voice that made Cao Cao flinch as he already knew from past experience what it was like to make the black Nekoshou angry.

"I am sorry for the delay. I was waiting for Jeanne to arrive which took longer than I initially expected" Cao Cao said as he pointed to the girl who was now known as Jeanne.

"Hello, everyone. I am Jeanne, and I am going to join you in your next mission" Jeanne Introduced herself as she had a wide grin on her face.

"It's nice to meet you Jeanne-sama. My name is Le Fay and this over there is my brother Arthur" Le Fay replied with a sincere smile as she introduced herself and her brother, happy that she got to know yet another friend.

"He He...My name's Bikou" Bikou said while giggling as he flipped his golden staff as if showing off to the blonde girl who seemed unfazed by it, making Arthur laugh slightly.

"I'm Vali Lucifer, and this is my rival Issei Hyoudou" Vali introduced both herself and Issei as she got closer to Jeanne to shake her hand while dragging Issei with her.

"Hi..." Issei said shyly as he scratched the back of his head while holding his gaze on the ground while Vali shook Jeanne's hand who silently asked Vali what is wrong with Issei to which she replied that it's a long and complicated story which she should let Issei tell if he wants before gazing at him while having a sincere smile on her face.

Issei for his part was still not ready for this. He was just finished getting used to being with his team who after three weeks looked to be harmless, but you could never know as he remembered that even Rias and the girls who he was with for a few months at that time ended up breaking his heart.

Sure he had an affection towards Kuroka and Vali as well as having a deep desire to protect Le Fay after sensing her aura that showed how pure and kind-hearted she was, but regardless, that didn't mean that he trusted them completely let alone act on his affection as he still did not know them very well.

For example, he did not know anything about Vali's past except the fact that Azazel took her under his care for some unknown reason. He also did not know what Le Fay's past has been like before she and Arthur joined the Hero Faction.

He was aware that it would still take quite some time until he completely trusts Vali, Kuroka, and Le Fay but he was on his way to that which comforted him a bit as he knew that he still had hope that this time, things will be different than how they were with Rias and the rest, hoping with every fiber of his being that the heartbreak he experienced that night will not be repeated as he knew that his heart and mind would not be able to take that blow once again.

He was brought off his train of thoughts as he heard Arthur ask the same question he had in his mind that he didn't dare ask.

"How come she has the sword we stole from the Grigori a few weeks ago?" Arthur asked Cao Cao after taking notice of the familiar grip.

"Well, to answer your question Jeanne is a very talented swordswoman, and I am sure that she will make great use of this sword for our cause" Cao Cao explained with a bit of pride at the talent the blonde possessed.

Cao Cao was very proud of his members who were deemed to be very strong as they all had a Sacred Gear or a Longinus which meant that they had a great and unique power to each one of them, he just hoped that his proud wouldn't be let down.

"I see" Arthur replied with a neutral voice which seemed to satisfy Cao Cao as he thought to himself why did he get the sword since he as well was a very experienced swordsman but he shrugged it off knowing that he still had his two very powerful swords, the Excalibur Ruler and the Caliburn.

* * *

*cough cough*

"Ok now that we got the familiarities out of the way we should now discuss your upcoming mission" Cao Cao said after making everyone focus on him so he could start to brief the team on their upcoming mission which seemed to work nicely as everyone averted their look towards the raven-haired human.

"Your mission will take place in Kyoto where the Youkai community lives. Your mission will be to subdue the Youkai Leader, Yasaka, so we could use her power to open the Dragon Gate so we could summon Great Red" Cao Cao said which was followed by gasps from both Vali and Issei who were quite familiar with Great Red.

"Great Red?! Why do we need him?" Vali asked in bewilderment as she thought about the legendary true Dragon who was the one she desired the most to defeat so she could become the True White Dragon Empress.

"I cannot tell you that Vali but I ask you to trust me as your leader" Cao Cao said with a tad of irritation as he felt that Vali was doubting his decisions and therefore his leadership.

Vali for her part did not respond to Cao Cao as she knew that by doing it she would just get into a useless argument with the raven haired boy, so she shrugged it off and waited for him to continue which he did after seeing that Vali did not respond.

"Capturing her is going to be hard as she is very loved within the Youkais meaning they will put their lives on the line in order to protect her so you can expect resistance as well as potential intervention of the Three factions who probably learned about our intentions of capturing her" Cao Cao told them to which they frowned as they thought about the amount of fighting they would have to do.

"Is there any way to capture her with as fewer casualties as possible?" Arthur asked as he too was not keen on the upcoming fighting which he deemed unnecessary.

"I do not care how you capture her as long as you succeed" Cao Cao deadpanned while glaring at Arthur who stepped down in respond.

"Now then you should all go prepare for the upcoming mission as it will take you quite some time to complete it," Cao Cao said before turning around to leave the room

"Good luck everyone and you better not disappoint me," He said without turning his head as he stood at the entrance of the main hall.

* * *

"What the hell happened to him?" Bikou asked as he and his team gazed on the entrance to the main hall shortly after Cao Cao left.

They all noticed how difference the raven-haired human behaved which made them confused as to what exactly happened that could make him change his behavior like that.

"I guess he just had a bad day or something" Arthur replied as he too was wondering what happened to Cao, Cao but he came up with no reasonable explanation other than him having a bad day.

"As long as it's not going to be permanent I don't care" Vali interjected before telling her team to go and pack for the mission before meeting again at the main hall in an hour to which they all complied without resistance.

Jeanne was about to leave the main hall as well before she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around to see Vali looking at her with an intimidating look, making her gulp.

"I don't really know you but if you even dare to betray us I am going to make sure you will regret this for the rest of your life" Vali warned as she released a fraction her powers in order to scare the blonde so she could see how serious she was which seemed to work perfectly as she saw the frightened look she had on her face.

"O-O-Okay Vali-chan," Jeanne said, making Vali release her before she bolted out of the room as she wouldn't have to spend more time with Vali then necessary after witnessing what she just did, making Vali smirk in amusement before she as well left the main hall in order to prepare for the mission.

* * *

(With Issei...)

Issei was in his room packing his stuff for the upcoming mission with Jeanne and his team but during his preparation, he could not shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen in this mission no matter how hard he tried to suppress those thoughts.

 ** _['Partner are you ok?']_** Ddraig asked within Issei's mind after sensing the brunette's distress.

*sigh*

 _'I suppose...I just can't stop thinking that this mission will go south one way or another which makes me nervous'_ Issei confessed to his partner.

During those three weeks Issei and Ddraig got even closer than they usually did as Issei learned to share his feelings and thoughts with the Dragon who seemed to always have a solution for it which he greatly appreciated as well as Ddraig being delighted by Issei's change from the breast loving pervert but also feeling pity for the boy whose heart got broken just because he tried to fix another which infuriated him to no end as he got a grim reminder of how the supernaturals behaved during his and his past possessors time.

 ** _['I am sure that everything is going to be okay partner but in case something does indeed go wrong you always have your team to help you']_** Ddraig said, voicing his opinion as he tried to reassure the boy that everything will be fine even if things did go bad.

 _'I guess, but I don't think that I can still trust them completely. Especially when my life is on the line'_ Issei said making Ddraig to sigh.

*sigh*

 ** _['I know partner, but eventually you will have to entrust them with your live like they entrust theirs with you right now']_** Ddraig told Issei who frowned in response.

 _'You think they trust me with their lives?'_ Issei asked in skepticism after hearing what the Dragon said.

 ** _['I am sure that they do but gladly they didn't get into a situation that forced them to']_** Ddraig interjected, making the boy to shrug it off as he realized that the Dragon have a point.

 _'I guess you're right...'_

 ** _['Of course I'm right. The Red Dragon Of Domination is never wrong']_** Ddraig said in pride as he remembered his life as the Dragon Of Domination and the fear the people had when they heard his name which came to show how honorable and feared he was.

 ** _'Maybe The Red Dragon Of Domination is never mistaken, but you are not him anymore. Now you are known as The Breast Dragon Emperor'_** Issei teased with a smug grin on his face as he snickered at his partner before he heard sobbing coming from within his subconscious.

 ** _['Stupid pervert how dare you remind me of that horrible title?']_** Ddraig said between sobs which made Issei laugh before he relented into comforting his partner.

 _'Don't worry Ddraig; I promised you that I would make the people recognize us as the Dragon Of Domination and I will keep that promise.'_

 ** _['Thanks, Issei, I knew I could trust you']_ ** Ddraig said with sheer happiness as he believed in Issei's promise which meant that finally, he would get rid of that disgraceful title.

* * *

 _ **(With Vali...)**_

Vali was in her room preparing for the upcoming mission as she thought about a certain brunette which seemed to be constantly on her mind for the past few weeks.

During those three weeks, her feelings for Issei increased substantially to the point that she couldn't even take her mind off of him for more than a minute.

She remembered what they've been through ever since she first met him and how their relationship evolved during this time.

Their meeting when she took Kokabiel who got defeated by the Gremory peerage to Azazel so he could be held account for his betrayal, The events that happened in the Three Factions meeting where she first witnessed the determination Issei had which eventually made her develop feelings for the boy who loathed her at the time for trying to kill his friends.

During the whole time, she thought Issei was weak and not worthy of being The Red Dragon Emperor, but after he had joined the Hero Faction where she got to know him more she found that he was far from being weak as she saw how broken he was yet he tried his best to recover without giving up. She thought of their fight with Dulio and Tobio back at when they stole that Artifical Sacred Gear from the Grigori's lab and she remembered how strong Issei was and how he put his life on the line so hers and the rest would be safe. She also remembered the monsters which she probably couldn't defeat alone although she wouldn't admit it being destroyed by Issei alone.

She smirked upon reminiscing on those moments before a certain incident entered her mind which made her smile as her cheeks became flushed.

She remembered that time when she trained in order to improve her strength so she could use the new mode Ophis helped her achieve, she remembered how Issei looked at her with his mesmerising eyes and other parts that showed the sheer amounts of lust, affection and surprise upon seeing her, she remembered how nervous and flushed he was when they talked which made her overjoyed as she came to know of the affection the brunette had to her.

 ** _['I've never seen you like this Vali, who would have thought that the mighty battle maniac Vali would eventually be replaced with the girl who fell in love with her rival']_ ** Albion said in sarcasm as he teased his partner who had her blush intensify in return.

 _'S-Shut Up!'_ She exclaimed in aggravation at the Dragon's antics.

 ** _['Hahaha. Seriously though Vali, I've never seen you like this and to be honest I am very glad about what you became']_ ** Albion confessed which surprised Vali who now had wide eyes.

 _'R-Really?!'_ Vali asked in bewilderment, still disbelieving what the Dragon said as she thought that he was probably pulling a prank on her again.

 **['Yeah, you improved for the better as you finally changed from the cold-hearted person who was only interested in fights to a real girl who got her heart captured by a boy. I am glad to finally see you like that especially after what you've been through']** Albion said with pride aimed at his partner after thinking about the massive change she did and how she managed to recover from the cruel past that made her be the same cold-hearted, battle maniac person she was before she fell for Issei.

 _'Thanks_ , _Albion! I appreciate it a lot'_ Vali said in gratitude while flashing a big grin.

* * *

 ** _(Somewhere Far Away...)_**

A certain red-haired girl was sitting at her desk with a frown on her face after she got a call from her brother who asked her and her violet-eyed best friend to go to Kyoto with their peerages after rumors about an upcoming attack from the Hero Faction.

Right now she and her best friend along with their respective peerage were present in the room, waiting for the red-haired girl to tell them what the call she received from her brother was about which judging from the red-haired reaction was not something good.

"Ok listen up everyone. My brother asked for us to travel to Kyoto in order to defend the Youkais from a potential attack from the Hero Faction" The red-haired girl said which was received with frowns by those who were present in the room.

"We will meet here tomorrow morning before we leave to Kyoto by a magic circle so be ready by then," She said to which everyone nodded before leaving to get ready for their trip to Kyoto.

What they didn't know was that a certain brunette they were all very familiar with was also making his way to Kyoto with the very same Hero Faction they were asked to defend against.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!_**


	8. The Factions

_**AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the eight chapter of "Switching Sides"**_

 _ **I want to thank those who took their time to Review, Favorite, and Follow. It motives me seeing the support this story gets :)**_

 _ **I'm happy to say that I finished writing the overall plot for the story and you can expect it to be filled with a lot of action and different arcs which will probably take some time to cover meaning that the story will be quite long (I am not sure how long yet).**_

 _ **This chapter will show you what happened with Sirzechs and the other leaders POV during the events that happened in the earlier chapters before I will switch back to Issei and the mission he and his took.**_

 _ **Also I dropped many hints regarding the future arcs and events in this story in the last chapter so the first two people who manage to find one out of the few clues will be able to ask me any question he wants regarding this story (even if it means spoiling something)**_

 _ **Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

Sirzechs Lucifer was sitting at his desk and sorting out paperwork regarding the affairs of the Underworld and the Three Factions like he would always do ever since he became a Maou. His wife, Grayfia, was standing by his side with her hands crossed in front of her as she silently waited for her husband to request her assistance.

Sirzechs was about to sign the last three papers when a magic circle suddenly appeared by his ear. Making him surprised at the unexpected call.

"Yes?" He asked as he waited for the person on the other side of the magic circle to start speaking but never did he expect to hear his sister talking to him while she sounded like she was sobbing badly.

"O-Onii-sama I am s-sorry to bother you but there's something that I need to tell you as soon as possible" Sirzechs managed to understand from his sister between her sobs, his power of destruction starting to flare up as he was starting to feel anger and concern before he was calmed down by Grayfia who warned him that if he continues to unleash his powers like that then he will destroy the room. Angry that his precious little sister was hurt by something or someone while being concerned about the urgent thing she said she have to talk to him about which judging by experience would not be something to look forward too.

"Ria-tan it's ok please calm down. I'll send Grayfia over to bring you and your peerage here as soon as possible" Sirzechs tried to reassure his sister who seemed to work as he heard Rias starting to sob less than when she first called.

"O-Ok onii-sama. T-Thank you" She said before she hung up the call, leaving a very perplexed and worried Sirzechs and Grayfia.

"Darling, what do you think might have happened to cause Rias-sama to break down like that?" Grayfia asked in concern as she frowned, worrying for her sister-in-law who she grew to love and care for deeply ever since she married her brother.

Grayfia and Rias relationship was not always fine like it is now. When Grayfia and Sirzechs first got married Rias was very suspicious of the silver-haired girl intentions and her true feelings towards her brother since she knew their history as former enemies and the fact that her brother was very popular among the girls of the Underworld because of his title as the Maou but as time went by Grayfia did her very best to prove to the Red-haired girl who was becoming less wary of her as time went on that she could indeed be trusted and that she will not disappoint her or her brother. Eventually, Grayfia and Rias became very close, even to the point where they confided each other with their personal problems such as relationships issues.

"I don't know, but from how Ria-tan sounded then it's certainly not something that we should look forward to," Sirzechs said while matching his wife's frown as he thought about what could have possibly made his precious little sister to behave like this. He swore that if he finds who or whatever did this to her, it will not remain long in this world after he's done taking care of it.

"Grayfia, can you please go to Kyoto where Rias and her peerage are and bring them here?" Sirzechs asked his wife who nodded in agreement before she formed a silver magic circle that will take her to where Rias and the others were currently at.

* * *

When Grayfia arrived at where Rias and her peerage were she was shocked when she saw that it was not only Rias who was broken and rather it was the entire peerage who were like that. She looked around to scan for those who were present before she cocked an eyebrow in curiosity when she didn't spot a certain brunette.

"Everyone are you ok? Please tell me what happened" Grayfia asked the sobbing girls but to her dismay the girls did not seem to even hear her question as the voices of their sobs flooded the room.

"Yuuto-kun can you please tell me what has happened?" Grayfia asked as she turned to the blonde who leaned against the wall with a grim expression on his face as he was deep in thoughts.

"Issei-kun..." Kiba replied which made Grayfia to frown as she realized that the brunette was the source of the mayhem, but her frown intensified as she thought about what could have happened to Issei that will make them act like that.

'Was he hurt? Was he kidnapped or worse, was he killed?' Were the thoughts that ran through the silver-haired girl head as she tried to come up with her own conclusion as to what happened to the brunette after seeing that she will not get a proper explanation from anyone in the room.

She eventually shrugged it off and decided that she should just escort them to her husband's office where she hoped they would explain everything that happened.

"Rias-sama and everyone else, I came to escort you to Sirzechs-sama office so if you would please come near me so I could teleport us all back to his office, " Grayfia asked to which they all complied too before Grayfia teleported them back to Sirzechs office where he was impatiently waiting for her return.

* * *

Sirzechs was pacing back and forth in his office as he waited for his wife to bring his Ria-tan and her peerage to his office when suddenly a bright light erupted in his room, signaling the return of Grayfia with the addition of his sister and her peerage.

"Ria-tan! Are you ok? You really worried me" He frantically asked as he saw his little sister appearing in his office.

He frowned upon taking a closer look at Ria, and her peerage which he saw were sobbing like Rias did while Kiba just stood there with a scowl on his face.

"What is wrong Ria-tan? What happened that caused you and your peerage to act like that?" Sirzechs asked as his concern for his sister increased when he saw how her peerage was, surely this wasn't a small thing if everyone in the peerage seemed to be affected by it.

Rias just stared at her brother while she tried to compose herself enough to tell him what happened.

"I-Ise is...is dead! We found his Evil pieces at a ruined shrine in Kyoto after he ran away because of an argument we had" Rias blurted out, making Sirzechs and Grayfia to freeze in horror upon hearing Rias saying that the brunette who they came to care for dearly has died.

"How did this happen?" Sirzechs asked as he got over his initial shock thanks to him being a Maou he was already used to moments like this where he got told that someone he knew died, but that didn't mean he was less sad about the death of his figurative little brother.

"W-While we were going back to our hotel room when Issei suddenly left us and went to talk with an unknown blonde girl which made the girls angry and worried as they thought that he was flirting with her. When we got back to the hotel room, the girls confronted him about his feelings towards him to which he answered in a way they were not happy with, making them lash out at him which made him confused as he did not see what he did wrong. He tried to find out what exactly he did, but at the moment no one answered him because we were all upset at him until he heard Buchou mutter something that we didn't manage to understand until he repeated her words out loud..." Kiba interjected as he saw that his King was in no condition to explain what happened.

"What exactly did she say to Issei-kun?" Sirzechs asked in curiosity as he averted his gaze from the blonde Knight to his sister who seemed to calm down a bit since she first appeared in his office.

"I said that I regretted reincarnating him..." Rias said which made Sirzechs and Grayfia to have widened eyes as they looked at Rias in disbelief after hearing what she said.

"W-Why did you say that Ria-tan?! I thought that you loved him dearly" Sirzechs asked in astonishment, still not believing that his sister could say something like that to the man she loved.

"I-I was angry when I saw him flirt with that blonde girl; I started thinking that I didn't matter to Issei... I was flooded with anger and jealousy while my mind reminded me of my biggest fears regarding me and Issei's relationship" Rias said before she started to sob uncontrollably once again deeming her unable to talk until she composes herself once again.

Everyone was surprised to hear how Rias talked. They never heard her being so honest and straightforward, not even her brother and Grayfia who had wide eyes like the rest.

"Sirzechs-sama may I say something?" Kiba interjected before anyone could respond, making everyone look at the blonde Knight in curiosity.

"Sure, Kiba, what is it?"

"I think that Issei-kun might still be alive," Kiba said with a bit of hope evident in his voice, hoping that whatever he was going to say to Sirzechs would indeed turn out to be true.

Sirzechs and Grayfia gasped in surprise when they heard what Kiba said, they knew that if a reincarnated Devil were to eject his Evil Pieces then it will mean certain death but when they heard what Kiba said they started to feel a little hope since they knew that the blonde was smart so he wouldn't come up with a ridiculous conclusion like that without having a good reason.

"Kiba, ejecting your Evil Pieces means a certain death as you may already know but I am intrigued as to why you think Issei-kun may still be alive so please go ahead and explain," Sirzechs said with an emotionless expression, not allowing himself to show the bit of hope he was feeling.

"When we found the Evil Pieces we didn't find Issei-kun's body which struck me as weird since the ejection would mean that he would die mere seconds after it was done" Kiba explained, making Sirzechs puzzled as he started to think about what Kiba said before the latter continued to speak.

"I believe that someone else was with Issei-kun when his pieces were ejected. Maybe he survived and got abducted?" Kiba asked with a grim face as he thought about the possibility of his best friend being taken and tortured.

Sirzechs with the addition of Grayfia and everyone else frowned upon hearing what the blonde Knight said as they too started to picture their beloved brunette being kidnapped and tortured.

"I must say Kiba that you may be right, but we should keep our hopes to a minimum. I'll contact the other leaders later to tell them about it while asking them to help us search for Issei" Sirzechs said with a small smile on his face as he finally let the little hope he felt to creep out and be shown to everyone who mimicked his smile as their hope crept out as well.

* * *

 ** _(Several Hours later...)_**

Sirzechs sat in his office with his head on his desk after finishing to talk with the other faction leaders about what happened with Issei and the possibility of him being alive.

After Rias and the rest told him everything they knew or thought about the disappearance of the brunette Grayfia served them tea before they started to make small talk in an attempt to lift the grim atmosphere that lingered in the room. After an hour Rias and the rest decided to leave as they saw the amount of paperwork that laid on Sirzechs desk.

After they left Sirzechs was reminded by Grayfia that he still had work to do as she brought him yet another bunch of paperwork to sort, making the red-head to sigh.

When he was done a few hours later, he wanted nothing more than to end the day but to his dismay, he remembered that he still had a long talk with the three faction leaders ahead of him regarding Issei so he instead asked Grayfia if she could give him coffee as he called the three leaders.

In Sirzechs opinion the talk went quite well considering the news he was about to deliver, he knew that telling the other factions about the brunette will make many emotions to surface within them since he was aware that they had a liking towards the brunette. Especially Azazel who seemed to have a lot in common with Issei.

After a heated argument about their opinions on the matter, they decided that what Kiba said had a chance to be true so they decided that they'll visit Sirzechs in a few days so they could start searching for the brunette.

Of course, they wanted to start searching immediately but considering the threat of the Khaos Brigade that lingered above all the leaders head they knew that they had to do this right and not rush so they decided that they will first take precautions before they leave while Sirzechs sort the technical stuff such as possible places and people who could be related to Issei's abduction.

"You should call it a day dear," Grayfia said as she noticed how drained her husband was, feeling pity as she saw how much he had to handle on his own today as well as what to come now that Issei was missing.

Sirzechs just nodded before he got up and went to his bedroom with slumped shoulders as Grayfia followed him close behind.

* * *

 _ **(Few Days Later...)**_

Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel sat in Sirzechs office in the Underworld as they discussed the Khaos Brigade and what they should do about it as well as the situation in the three factions before they switched to the subject they initially came here for, Issei.

One of their decisions regarding Issei was to form a search party that will be made off people from each faction who specialize in searching.

Another decision regarding both the Khaos Brigade and Issei was to deploy peoples to guard places that the Khaos Brigade could target so they could intercept them and ask them if they have anything to do with Issei's disappearance as well as prevent them from gaining more power.

They decided that the search party would be made of Rias peerage due to their relationship with the brunette.

Akeno was elected by Azazel to serve as the Fallen Angels representative in the search party. Irina as well was chosen by Michael to act as the Angels representative in the search party. As for the people who were meant to defend the three factions points of interest as well as intercepting the Khaos Brigade members they made several teams.

Dulio and Tobio were in charge of guarding Azazel's artificial sacred gear lab in the Grigori in fear that the Khaos Brigade might steal one of the Sacred Gears

Sona and her peerage were in charge with guarding the Underworld prison to prevent the Khaos Brigade from breaking out anyone who they deemed as useful for their cause.

Sirzechs peerage with the exception of Grayfia was assigned to guard the Underworld's capital, Lilith, while Sairaorg and his peerage were assigned to guard the old capital, Lucifaad.

Griselda, Baraqiel, and Grayfia have chosen to each guard their own realms while the leaders were staying with Sirzechs as they were focusing on leading the search for Issei.

After they had been done, they summoned each team and told him his role and where he would be deployed which was answered with enthusiasm before they each went to their respective place.

Afterward, they summoned Rias peerage and told them that they would be in charge of searching for Issei which made everyone very determined and happy before they all rushed out to find their missing brunette, not wanting to spend a single second.

When they were done, they all went to Sirzechs house where the latter showed the rooms they would be staying at while they search for Issei.

Afterward, they decided to grab something to eat and drink before they went to sleep in preparation for tomorrow which will mark the start of the search for Issei.

* * *

 ** _(Nine Days Later)_**

It has been nine days since the three faction leaders started their search for Issei and so far they did not come across any substantial evidence regarding Issei's status.

During those nine days several attempts to attack the capital and the prison of the Underworld were made by the several Khaos Brigade branches such as the Magician and the Old Satan Faction who were looking to retrieve their captured members as well as take revenge for their fallen but to their dismay they failed horribly as they did not expect to come across any sort of countermeasures.

Any hope they all had for finding Issei alive was starting to drain slowly with each passing day until today when Sirzechs, Michael, and Azazel were sitting at Sirzechs office while they discussed about the recent attacks by the Khaos Brigade when the doors to the office were suddenly burst open, revealing two people they didn't expect to see, Dulio and Tobio who upon taking a closer look at could be seen panting slightly.

"Dulio, Tobio? What are you doing here and why are you two panting?" Sirzechs asked in curiosity as he eyed the duo.

"We are sorry to intrude like that, but we have news regarding the Red Dragon Emperor" Dulio said with a serious voice, making everyone who was present in the room to gasp in surprise.

"What is it then?" Sirzechs asked in eagerness to know what news they learned about Issei while the diminished hope appeared once again for all of them but the hope they were all feeling was short lived when they saw the grim face Tobio had which made dread overthrow the hope.

"We came across members of the Hero Faction which is a branch of the Khaos Brigade earlier as they were trying to steal an artificial sacred gear from the Grigori's lab" Dulio started to say, making the leaders to frown upon hearing that yet another attack was made earlier.

"The team who took part in the attack had Vali, The White Dragon Emperor, and Kuroka, the infamous SS-Criminal" Dulio continued while gazing at the three faction leaders who were already starting to get impatient as they waited for news regarding Issei.

Dulio sighed before finally delivering the news that he assumed would send the leaders into a state of shock.

*sigh*

"Apparently The Red Dragon Emperor joined the Khaos Brigade since he as well took part in stealing the artificial sacred gear from the labs," Dulio said, making the faction leaders to widen their eyes as they digested what he said which he knew they did after hearing them gasp.

"Are you sure that it was Issei?" Sirzechs who was the first to recover from the initial shock asked in bewilderment which was answered by Dulio nodding.

"Yes," Dulio deadpanned.

"I-I see...Thank you Dulio, Tobio. You may go take a rest if you like" Sirzechs said, dismissing the duo who nodded in acknowledgment before leaving the room.

After the pair had left the room, Sirzechs went back to his seat across the two leaders while he refilled their glasses with more scotch.

*sigh*

"This makes things more complicated than they already were...I never thought that Issei would be the one to join the Khaos Brigade. I always thought that he would be the one who'll help us defeat them" Sirzechs said in sadness after taking a sip from his scotch.

"Indeed. I never expected him to join them as well, especially after knowing how much he loved Rias and the others but apparently the damage they've done to him was bigger than we thought" Azazel said in sadness as well as he thought about the one who he considered as a figurative son who he shared many interests with.

"I suppose...I am going to call Grayfia back so we can discuss what we'll do next" Sirzechs said before he formed a magic circle near his ear to call his wife back.

One thing was certain and it was that Sirzechs who despite his great love towards his sister did not plan to tell her and her peerage about what they learned from Dulio and Tobio regarding Issei because he knew how much it would affect them to know that the brunette that they loved dearly was alive and was a part of the biggest and egregious terrorist organization to exist in the supernatural world yet

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!_**


	9. Arrival

_**AN: Hey guys and welcome to the ninth chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed the story by far!**_

 _ **This chapter will shift focus back on Issei and his team while it develops certain characters in the story that I thought deserved to have more depth to them.**_

 _ **I do want to stress something that you might not understand when you first read this AN's, but after reading the story you'll understand, and that is when I wrote "Issei's past/ story" I meant everything that happened up until the first chapter of the story.**_

 _ **I do want to warn that I added some AU elements to this chapter but they are not really major but will still play an important role in the story so I hope you'll like it.**_

 _ **Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

 _ **{..}**_ Sacred Gear Mentions

* * *

By the time Issei and his team with the addition of Jeanne finally arrived in Kyoto, it was already late at night, the streets were vacant and the only source of light was either the dim lamps that were spread across the street or the moonlight which shone brightly upon Kyoto. They decided that they will search for Yasaka in the morning after getting a good night sleep so they could recover from the fatigue they had from the journey to Kyoto which was long due to Le Fay not being able to teleport them; Much to their dismay.

After several minutes of strolling around town in search for an inn to stay at they finally found one.

Upon entering the inn, they could see the old artifacts that graced the lobby which emphasized Kyoto's importance in the Japanese culture.

"Hello there, are you looking to rent a room for the night?" An unknown voice asked them; Breaking them from their daze and look at the source of the voice only to find an old man to which they assumed was the owner of the inn standing behind the reception.

"Yes. We were wondering if you happen to have two spare rooms for us?" Vali asked after taking a quick glance at her teammates who just looked at her; Waiting for her to reply to the old man.

"Yes I do miss, here you go," The old man said after retrieving two keys and handing it to Vali who took them with a smile at the old man who returned the gesture.

"Thank you, sir," Vali replied before she and the rest went up to where their rooms were.

* * *

Once they were in front of their rooms, they turned around to Vali with an unsure look which she quickly understood the source of.

*sigh."

"Issei, Arthur, and Bikou you take that room while Le Fay, Kuroka, Jeanne, and I take this room," Vali told them while pointing to the respective rooms each of them was supposed to take.

No one answered as Issei just took the key from Vali, flashing her a small smile before he opened their room and going inside with the rest following suit while the girls did the same with theirs.

Once they were inside their room, each of the boys took a shower by turn before each went to his own bed.

"Phew, I am so glad to finally rest" Bikou broke the silence that lingered in the room with a voice that conveyed how exhausted he was.

"Me too, it was indeed a tiring task to arrive at Kyoto" Arthur replied while getting into his bed, his voice the same as Bikou's; One full of exhaustion that he tried to conceal due to his mannerism.

Issei looked at his fellow teammates and laughed, he has known them for quite some time now, and he was starting to slowly open up to them, but there was still one thing that bothered him about them.

"I was wondering guys...Why did you join the Khaos Brigade?" Issei asked his partners in curiosity which was answered by utter silence for a few long minutes before Arthur decided to break the silence that lingered in the room, seeing no point to hide his past from the man who he started to consider as a friend.

*sigh*

"When I was a kid I grew up in a house of nobility. My father cared deeply about the honor and the strength of our house so when I was a child he started to train me with swords in hope that I will become a great fighter for our house when I grow up," Arthur started to say with an emotionless voice.

"Because of his position, he was a strict and emotionless person who did not show love to either me or Le Fay who was born and as a child, there was nothing I strived for more than my parent's love and support which sadly never came since I was forced to become something I didn't want too; I was forced to become a ruthless protector for our house who will not hesitate to kill anyone as long as it benefits our house," Arthur said, shocking Issei and Bikou who was also hearing Arthur's past for the first time.

"When I reached the age of sixteen I was an entirely different man; I found the love that I strived to have with a girl I met as a part of my father's diplomatic affairs with the neighboring kingdom. In time we became deeply in-love with each other, and I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with her like our fathers wanted but one day I met Elaine who was a maid in our house. At first, I was not very fond of her but as I got to know her more on the occasions we met my love for my betrothed girl started to fade while my feelings for Elaine started to grow immensely with each time we talked" Arthur said before glancing to his two teammates who now stared at him with wide eyes as they listened carefully for his past.

"One day I and my betrothed walked in my family's gardens and I decided that I'll tell her that I don't want to marry her because of my fading feelings towards her as well as my growing feelings for Elaine in hope that she'll understand. At first, it seemed that she understood my feelings and even supported and encouraged me to pursue Elaine but look can be deceiving because after our talk in the gardens she apparently went to my father and told him of my feelings for Elaine and my decision to not marry her which made him enraged. A day afterward he summoned me so he could talk some sense into me; He tried to talk to me for hours telling me that my marriage to the girl of the neighboring kingdom was essential for the survival of our kingdom but I still refused which infuriated him even more and when he saw that he couldn't change my mind by words he resorted to actions, he threaten to execute Elaine if I were to pursue my love to her and not marry my betrothed. I was shocked by his threat and realized at the same moment that as long as I stay there I will forever be forced to do as my father bid me so I decided to leave the kingdom so Elaine would not get killed and so I did but not before I managed to steal two of my kingdom's most precious swords, the Excalibur Ruler and the Calibrum... After that I met with Vali and joined the Khaos Brigade as a part of her team" Arthur said after finishing to tell his past, still with his stoic face while Issei and Bikou's faces varied from intrigued, shocked, surprised and one that showed sheer respect for Arthur and his bravery.

After Arthur had finished his story, the silenced that encased the room before returned once again and stayed for few minutes or eternity as the occupants of the room thought before finally it was broken by Bikou who decided that after hearing Arthur tells them about his past then he should tell them about his too.

"Well...I guess that my reason for joining the Khaos Brigade came from the fact that I desired to be stronger. You see my ancestor, Sun Wukong, took care of me ever since I can remember. I never knew my parents but I was never saddened by that because Sun Wukong was like a father to me so as time went by I started to think less about my parents. As I grew older I began to train so I could inherit his position as the next Sun Wukong so I asked him to help me which he happily agreed too but while we trained I always noticed how dissatisfied he was with my skills, he never would have voiced that out loud but I knew that he thought that I was weak so I did my best so I could improve but no matter how much I tried I still saw the look on his face that showed me what he really thought. I knew that I would inherit his position when he dies but I wanted to bring respect to it instead of dishonoring it so one night I ran away while he slept, leaving him a note and hoping that he will understand my reasoning which I doubt he did so I don't look forward to meeting him while I am alive because he will probably kick my ass" Bikou said in a grave voice before snickering towards the end; Trying to lighten up the heavy mood that flooded the room.

Once Bikou was done with telling his story, he waited for his friend's reaction. While he did trust them completely, he was still scared that they would judge him for his decision to leave because of his strength, but it never came. In judgment's place came sympathy and understanding from his friends; Making him release a breath he did not know he was holding while a smile adorned his face, showing the sincere happiness he felt at the moment.

After they had got over the two stories, they waited for Issei to tell his reason for joining the Khaos Brigade. They knew Issei from before he joined and they saw how determined he was to protect his peerage who they could see he loved deeply so they could only speculate on why the brunette joined their ranks all of a sudden.

Understanding his friend's intrusiveness from the way they gazed at him, their eyes showing the immense desire to know while their mouths refused to let those thoughts be heard, issei let out a sigh before he recounted the one memory that he wishes to forever lock in the depths of his mind. He was still not over that day and it still pained him while he tried his very best to recover but as hard as it was he was slowly getting there and he couldn't say that right now wasn't a good help to his recovery since it helped him strengthen the bond with his teammates. So with the encouragement, he was getting from Ddraig in his subconscious along with the looks his friends gave him he went ahead and told them his story.

* * *

Once Issei was finished telling his story he was fidgeting with his fingers nervously while he held his gaze downward towards the floor. Silence once again fell upon the room which increased the brunette's anxiety; Wishing that someone would already break the silence.

After some time he managed to get enough courage to look up into his teammate's face; Ready to deal with the looks of disapproval and mockery that he would receive. But after he looked at them he frowned because those looks never came. Instead, there were looks of sympathy, pity, and anger that made him tense up slightly since he didn't know if he was the source of the angered look or his story but his perplexity was answered shortly after that by Bikou.

"Tsk, I always knew that those Devils worth jack shit," He said after gritting his teeth.

Arthur chose not to add anything else and instead just nodded in agreement to Bikou's statement before he looked at Issei and frowned after seeing the worried look he had.

"Do not fret Issei; We fully understand what you've been through, and we are sorry that you had to experience this, but it will not happen again while we are with you," He reassured; Hoping that his words of reassurance would be enough to distinguish the fear in the brunette's heart.

Issei looked at Arthur straight in the eyes; Looking for any indication that would tell him that the blonde in front of him was lying but he didn't find any which made him grin in response.

"Thanks, guys I really appreciate that," Issei said before he and the rest decided that they should already go to sleep since it was late.

* * *

 ** _(The Next Day...)_**

It was early morning when everyone woke up; The sun was just rising, and the sound of birds chippering could be heard from outside.

Once everyone woke up, they all went ahead and took a shower by turn before they quickly got ready for the day.

"Good morning everyone," Vali greeted Issei, Le Fay, Arthur, and Jeanne who were already outside while Kuroka and Bikou were still inside getting ready.

They all returned Vali's greeting while grinning just as the doors to their rooms opened and revealed Bikou and Kuroka were coming out from their respective rooms; Both were looking like they would collapse to the floor to continue their sleep any second.

"Now that we are all here let's go grab something to eat before we start searching for Yasaka," Vali said before taking off to the dining room with everyone in tow.

* * *

After they had been all done eating, they thanked the inn owner and went outside to start their search for the Youkai leader.

"Now, where do you think Yasaka could be?" Vali asked her team; Struggling to come up with where she could be at the moment.

"Maybe she went to grab a meal at a nearby restaurant?" Bikou asked right before his stomach growled; Showing his need for more food and making everyone look at him with smirks on their faces. Especially Kuroka who couldn't let an opportunity like this to go to waste.

"Was bananas not enough for you poor monkey?" Kuroka teased Bikou who now had a vein pop on his forehead before his stomach once again growled, making him blush as he tried to conceal the noises to no avail and making everyone giggle in response.

Issei who watched the interaction of his teammates from the side started thinking about where they could find Yasaka. He didn't know, but that name sounded really familiar to him which confused him since he didn't remember ever coming across her but after spending a long time trying to make sense of the feeling of familiarity he felt when he heard Yasaka's name he finally remembered; Making him frown which didn't go unnoticed by his team who was now looking at him with concern.

"Is something the matter Issei?" Vali asked to which Issei just shook his head before he proceeded to continue to think about what his next course of actions should be.

Would he tell them where Yasaka is so they could capture her or would he lie and try to prevent her from being captured?

He didn't know her personally but after remembering her daughter, Kunou, and how scared she was when she thought her mother was kidnapped. He had doubts about If Kunou was any indication then he could say that Yasaka was just as kind, innocent, and pure; Making him wonder what Cao Cao deemed to be so important that he asked them to kidnap her.

He then thought about his team who his bond with has significantly strengthened since they first met; Especially after hearing Bikou's and Arthur's past.  
Issei thought about the girls who he came to develop great affection towards and how would they react when they eventually find out that it was his fault that they failed the mission. Many scenarios ran through his mind, reminding him of his greatest fears such as them shunning or kicking him off the team or them just showing their immense disappointment in him; Each scenario terrified Issei to no end as he thought about the possibility of one of those scenarios to come true and the fact that he could not deal with another blow like this again.

 ** _['Why won't you just tell your team where she is but insist that you do not want to capture her']_** Ddraig interjected within Issei's subconscious; Telling him his opinion in an attempt to calm the brunette down.

 _'That's actually a good idea Ddraig, thanks'_ Issei thanked his partner who once again came to his aid.

"Issei is everything ok?" Le Fay asked Issei with worry evident in her voice as she and the rest saw the distraught the brunette was in.

"Huh? Yeah...Thanks, Le Fay" Issei replied with a sincere smile after he was snapped from his train and thoughts by the blonde magician who nodded in response as a blush adorned her face.

"I know where Yasaka is..." Issei muttered after taking a deep breath in order to calm down the feeling of uneasiness he was feeling; Making everyone look at him in bewilderment.

"Y-You know where is she?" Vali who was the first one to get over her bewilderment asked Issei with her eyes widen.

None of them had any clue as to where Yasaka could be, and they thought that Issei was no difference, so they were very surprised to hear that he knew exactly where she was.

"Yes but there's something I want to ask you before..." Issei said as he started to sweat while the feeling of apprehension filled him.

"Go ahead Issei. You can ask us anything you'd like" Vali said in a soft voice after she felt the distress Issei was in; Once again reading him just like an open book which comes to show the bond she had with the brunette even if he was unaware of it which she doubted.

Issei looked at Vali and instantly calmed down after hearing what she said.

"Can we not capture her?" Issei asked; Shocking his team who went completely silent in response to his request.

"W-What do you mean not capture her? Cao Cao would kill us if we fail this mission" Vali asked in shock before shivering towards the end after remembering what Cao Cao might do to them if they failed this mission, especially after seeing how he stressed the importance of this mission.

"I know, but I can't allow her to be captured. She has done nothing wrong, and her daughter does not deserve to see how we take her mother right in front of her," Issei said with a newfound determination which made Vali to recoil in response as she internally smiled upon seeing the familiar determination that made her fall for Issei.

"I see. Don't get me wrong; I really think this is a bad idea, but I will not do anything that will cause pain to any of our teammates. Just keep in mind the precautions of that" Vali said, making Issei to fully understand the severity of his change of heart before they proceeded.

Issei instantly nodded vigorously; His resolve was not wavering for a second which made Vali flash him a small smile in return.

"Ok then," Vali said before she was interrupted by Jeanne who did not look pleased by their decision.

"I will not tolerate your decision to betray the Hero Faction, and therefore I shall not take part in this mission anymore," Jeanne replied in a harsh tone; Showing her anger for her teammates.

"I assumed you would say that Jeanne, but we are not betraying the Hero Faction. We are ready to face any punishment that Cao Cao would serve us" Vali rebutted which seemed to catch the girl off guard before she quickly calmed down.

"Either way, what you are about to do is against our cause, and I shall not take part in actions that harm us," Jeanne said before walking away from the team who did not seem to mind her taking off as they did not try to change her mind nor to bring her back.

* * *

After Jeanne's departure, Issei's team asked him for Yasaka's whereabouts and told them that they should go and warn her of the possibility of Cao Cao sending another team to capture her which they deemed to be very likely to happen.

While they were walking Issei suddenly froze in horror as he felt an all too familiar aura that he wished he would never have to feel again moving towards Yasaka's shrine.

Vali who noticed Issei's abrupt stop and his face that showed sheer horror frowned before she too felt a familiar aura; Making her realize the source of the brunette's horror.

Before Vali could say anything to Issei they heard gasps not too far away from them; Making her and her team look at the source.

"I-Ise..." Rias said as she and her peerage stared at the brunette who they believed has died; None of them able to utter a single word as they were overtaken by shock.

* * *

 ** _AN: Haha I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was necessary. Don't worry because next chapter will start exactly from the end of this one._**

 ** _I hope that you liked my version of Bikou and Arthur's past stories._**

 ** _Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!_**


	10. Somber Reunion

_**AN: Hey guys (and girls) and welcome to the tenth chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **Now this is the fight that you've been waiting for, and I hope that you like it! :)**_

 _ **I did my best and built this fight in a way that would look logical as well interesting and fun for you to read which I hope it is.**_

 _ **Some of you already from my other AN's that I suck at writing fights but I hope that this time I managed to actually write a good fight :)**_

 _ **I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!**_

 _ **I also want to remind that I appreciate any sort of review either good or bad it doesn't matter as long as it civilized and not just full of flaming and hate. I also want to ask you guys that even if you dislike the review please don't go and PM peoples about it because it's their own right to express their honest opinion on the story.**_

 _ **Now I want you guys to check the ending AN's as well because there will be something very important there so please check it out and leave your opinion on the matter in the reviews :)**_

 _ **For those of you who are fans of Fairy Tail then check out my new Fairy Tail story called "Dragon Masters Of Fairy Tail"**_

 _ **Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

When Issei turned around he tensed up as his blood started to run cold.

There they were, his ex-peerage who he shared so much with. The girls who once mesmerized him and held such a prominent place in his heart, the guys who he considered to be good friends but no longer they were those things. Now they were all people who took part in finally breaking the brunette's heart completely.

Issei wanted to be mad at them, to lash out at them, but the feelings of sorrow and anguish overtook the rage in his heart that was boiling with each passing second.

He averted his gaze to the ground; Not being able to look at the faces of the people who caused him all this pain while struggling to keep the unshed tears at bay; Making him start shaking slightly.

Vali and the rest of the team looked at their pained teammate in pity and sympathy as they knew very well the amount of pain that the people who stood in front of them caused him.

"I-Ise...Why are you with them? They are a part of the Khaos Brigade," Rias said in a hollow voice as she and the rest of her peerage kept looking at Issei and his team with wide eyes.

Issei flinched upon hearing the question but chose not to answer the redhead's question; Keeping his focused stare on the source of all his pain as his mind was overcome with the feelings of anguish.

 _'Why did she reincarnate me? She should have left me to die instead of causing me more pain,'_ Issei asked himself in sadness as he thought about the fateful night when he was given a second chance by Rias after his death by the hands of his first girlfriend; No longer seeing it as a good thing. Instead, he saw it as nothing more than a curse meant to cause him nothing but pain.

 ** _['Partner stop this!']_** Ddraig roared in fury within his partner's subconscious after hearing the brunette's thoughts; Making Issei winch from the power behind his partner's roar.

Ddraig for his part was seething right now. At first, the Dragon loved the Gremory peerage as he thought that they would be good for Issei, and he was confident that they would be able to mend his heart and vanquish his fears after Raynare, but he was gravely mistaken as those who were supposed to be the glue for his heart ended up being nothing but a hammer that broke the remaining pieces into nothing but mere shards.

The Dragon, of course, was not really surprised as he already knew the vicious nature of the Devils due to some of his past possessors being Devil's themselves or associating with them but that didn't mean that Issei deserved it. Unlike the previous wielders of the Boosted Gear, Issei was considered to be the best wielder to date by Ddraig and he cared for the brunette a lot despite the torment he was being put through thanks to his wielder's perversion which to his luck was no more.

Fearing that his partner's despair would worsen even to a point of no return Ddraig wished to prevent it so he chose to do something that he wasn't sure he would be proud of. He released all his rage and killing intent into his partner so the latter as an attempt to snap him out of his despair and make him fueled by the anger he was supposed to feel towards the Gremory peerage.

* * *

Issei was still deep in his state of depression when all of the sudden he felt like his soul was consumed with intense rage and killing intent that were aimed at none other than Rias peerage who looked at him with their jaws dropped in response to the emotion spike that occurred within him. Issei gasped in shock at the sudden change before he noticed that his Boosted Gear appeared on his hand while he was still in his stupor but before he could react to it he was enveloped in a golden light.

 ** _[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]_** Ddraig's voice boomed through the Boosted Gear sounding angrier than usual; Making the Gremory's peerage to cringe.

Issei for his part was more than shocked when he found himself clad in his scale mail. He had no idea where those intense rage and killing intent coming from but after spending a minute to think about it Issei realized that it was Ddraig who flooded him with his own feelings; Making the Boosted Gear to respond to his feelings and force him into Balance Breaker.

When he gazed at his ex-peerage again, he could feel that something was definitely different from how things were just mere minutes ago. Sorrow and anguish were replaced by boiling rage and intent to kill aimed at the peerage who now had looks of utter horror from the sight of Issei in scale mail looking ready to kill them.

Seeing Issei like this made them shiver as this was not the brunette who they grew to love. No, this was the result of the now broken brunette who they along with Raynare helped to create.

Issei's team stared at him in awe after they sensed the spike of rage and killing intent before he was suddenly clad in his scale mail. All of them having the same thoughts in their minds.

 _'We need to back off and let him do his own'_

* * *

Rias who was the first to recover from the shock they were all feeling knew that her peerage was in danger so in response to the will to protect her peerage along with the swirling emotions that she felt after seeing Issei her Power of Destruction flared up and enveloped Rias who was now releasing an impressive aura on her own; Making the rest of the peerage recover from their shock to and prepare for the imminent battle despite how much they didn't want to fight Issei.

"Ise, please! We don't want to fight you so, please stand down," Rias said with hope clearly evident in her voice; Hoping that the brunette still had feelings for them other than hate and anger.

Much to Rias and her peerage dismay Issei did not respond and instead stood still for a few seconds before he suddenly vanished; Making them to panic and look frantically around them.

Xenovia who was stationed near Irina at the back suddenly saw Issei appear behind the letters back ready to deliver a lethal kick to her back. Xenovia who knew that one of her best friends were about to be severely hurt did the only thing she could and rushed to block Issei's attack with her Durandal.

The rest of the peerage gasped when they heard the sound of metal clinking with each other and quickly turned around to find the source only to find Xenovia struggling to block a kick from Issei with her Durandal.

"Xenovia!" They all shouted in worry and were about to rush to the bluenette's side to help her with blocking Issei's attack when Koneko who was the closest delivered a fist to the defenseless Issei; Sending him flying across the street and into a nearby building.

"Xenovia! Irina! Are you ok?" Rias asked in worry as she reached them to which she was answered by a set of two reassuring smiles and nods from the girls; Making her exhale a breath in relief.

They all turned their gazes when they heard the sound of rubble being moved before Issei came out of it looking unscathed.

Quickly they all charged their attacks and aimed them at Issei when all of a sudden he disappeared once again; Making their panic from before to return as they began looking for him once more.

They couldn't find him no matter how much they looked and they were about to stop looking and just wait for any sign of him when they heard something that sounded like energy being charged.

Before they could even react to the sound, they heard Issei yell something that made them shake.

 ** _[Dragon Shot!]_** He yelled as he directed the attack onto Koneko who took it heads on as she was unable to deflect it; Rendering the Rook unconscious and severely wounded.

"Koneko!" They all yelled in terror before Asia who rushed to her aid reassured them that she was alive but severely wounded; Making the blonde Bishop start healing her immediately.

"Why did you do it Issei-kun? Koneko was your friend!" Kiba asked in anger, but to his dismay, the brunette did not respond; Making the blonde Knight shake with fury before he rushed at the one who he once considered to be his best friend.

* * *

While Kiba and Issei were engaged in an intense melee battle, Rias and the rest took this chance to regain their thoughts and come up with a strategy so they won't end up being dead; Believing that Kiba will be capable of fending off Issei in the meantime.

While Rias and Akeno were supposedly stronger than Issei they knew that when a sacred gear host is fueled by intense emotions such as anger the sacred gear would correspond to its possessor feelings meaning that any advantage Rias and Akeno had over Issei in terms of power was no longer relevant as they didn't know the extent of the strength Issei could receive from his Longinus.

After they had come up with a strategy, they turned around and gasped at the sight they beheld.

Kiba who was on one knee was panting while holding his hand that like most of his body bled while Issei looked unaffected except for a few scratches on his scale mail; Meaning that Kiba managed to slightly damage the armor.

Much to their horror Issei approached Kiba and kicked him in his abdomen; Sending him flying backward into Rias and the other's direction.

Akeno who was the closest to Kiba checked him and informed them all that he was still breathing, but if he wouldn't get any medical treatment soon he won't make it; Making the remaining members of the peerage shake in fury from almost losing another precious friend.

Any feeling of doubt about fighting Issei disappeared from the all of them and they quickly charged their power again and started fighting the brunette who looked unfazed from the display of power.

Xenovia rushed to Issei with a loud battle cry in an attempt to land a decisive blow on his head with her Durandal, but to her dismay, Issei blocked it with his hands at the last seconds although she smirked when she saw that his hands were damaged in the process.

Her happiness did not live long when suddenly she felt like her stomach was torn open and was forced to exhale all her air; Making her snap her gaze down only to see Issei's knee striking her stomach with an intense force that sent her flying to a nearby tree.

Much to Issei surprise Xenovia stood back up although barely and rushed in his direction with a fierce battle cry once again, but to her dismay, Issei managed to grab her face and slam her into the ground; Generating a crater in the process.

* * *

The remaining members of the Gremory group who consisted of Rias, Akeno, Irina, and Asia paled from the losses of their friends.

They started to shake once again only this time it was from fear, fear of not being able to escape this fight alive.

With each loss, they received Rias Power of Destruction increased in strength although she wasn't sure her powers would even be useful against Issei but at this point, she had no choice but to believe that it did.

"Asia, how are everyone?" Rias asked her Bishop who looked like she was about to collapse from the strain of healing the downed members of the peerage.

"Th...They are fine for now Rias-onesama," Asia said in exhaustion.

"I see. Thank you, Asia," Rias replied with a grateful smiled aimed at her Bishop and one of closest friends who without her the downed members of the peerage would have been no more.

Rias glared at Issei halfheartedly when she averted her gaze from Asia to him.

"How could you Ise? Those were your friends who you almost killed. I thought you cared for us!" Rias said with tears now cascading down her cheeks.

Even after what he did Rias couldn't find it in herself to hate Issei because deep inside she hoped that the brunette would forgive them despite how little that hope was.

Right now, despite her unwillingness to fight Issei she had too. She had to make sure her peerage and dear friends would live to see another day, and she wasn't going to give up even when the person who she was fighting held a special place in her heart.

Rias widen her eyes when she saw Issei prepare yet another powerful attack aimed at her direction that unlike the last attack was much more powerful.

Seeing no other way she charged her Power of Destruction and shot a powerful beam at Issei at the same time he released his own attack.

 ** _[Dragon Shot!]_** He shouted with so much anguish and fury that made Rias slightly quiver while sadness filled her; Knowing that she and the rest were the cause of those feelings.

When both attacks collided with each other a bright light enveloped the entire area; Vali's team and the remaining members of the Gremory group to get blinded. Fear was filling them for their friend's fate as each attack battled for superiority.

* * *

When the light has faded Issei and Rias were both panting as they were both starting to be overtaken by magic exhaustion; None uttering a single word to each other as they slowly recovered from their fatigue.

Much to Rias luck the battle for superiority ended up in a tie at the last second, and she managed to escape physically unscathed but also substantially exhausted from the effort to fend off the attack that would have surely killed her.

"Rias!" Akeno shouted in worry as she rushed to help her best friend and king before she will collapse from exhaustion.

Much to their dismay, Issei managed to recover from his magical deprivement thanks to his Boosted Gear that kept boosting his powers; Being ready to continue fighting in no time much to their horror.

Akeno who saw Issei preparing to fight again quickly flew away while supporting Rias and landed near Asia; Hoping that the Bishop could help Rias to recover quickly.

After Akeno had asked Asia to help Rias with her exhaustion, she flew back to the remaining debris of the place where Issei and Rias attacks fought for superiority.

No longer seeing a point in trying to reach the brunette with talking Akeno instead reluctantly decided to attack Issei with as much power she could muster.

Clad in her priestess uniforms Akeno started preparing to attack Issei. She knew that attacking with all her powers focused on a single attack would be fruitless after what happened to Rias so instead, she decided that she'll try and exhaust Issei once again so she could strike him when he isn't able to defend himself so he'll go unconscious which would give them enough time to retreat.

Issei, still in his scale mail that was cracked in several places has already started showing signs of physical fatigue, but despite his fatigue, he refused to give up and so he quickly charged up and began to battle Akeno.

* * *

Issei and Akeno were clashing in the sky with speed that even a Devil couldn't catch sight on; Both fueled by the intense emotions they were feeling.

Akeno who kept attacking Issei with her Holy Lightning managed to strike the latter a few times; Making her hopeful.

Issei for his part managed to land only a single Dragon Shot on Akeno although the attack was weak it still did quite some damage.

They kept fighting for a long time, both sending powerful attacks towards each other; Both hoping that the other would be the first to give up.

While Akeno regained her breath after releasing yet another powerful Holy Lightning Issei looked down and saw that some of the peerage members who he's struck down have started to slightly recover after Asia healed them; Making Issei realize that it won't matter if he will defeat Akeno as long as Asia still standing and healing them all.

Deciding to take advantage of the small break he received to turn the battle in his favor Issei quickly dived down before Akeno finished regaining her breath; Making the latter to gasp in horror as she saw the direction he was heading at.

"Asia!" She yelled from the bottom of her lungs in an attempt to warn the blonde but to no avail, as she was too far from her so instead she quickly dove down after Issei as fast as she could with one purpose in mind. Stopping Issei before it's too late.

* * *

Asia who was focused on healing her fallen friends gasped in surprise when she heard something stopping in front of her.

Looking up to see what it was she widened her eyes when she saw it was Issei who was standing in front of her.

"Issei-san," Asia shyly said as she began crying, but much to the girl's horror Issei ignored her and instead retracted his hand as he prepared to deliver a lethal fist aimed at her.

"Issei-san, please don't do it," Asia pleaded in hope as she was now sobbing uncontrollably but to her dismay, Issei showed no signs of stopping so instead she prepared for the upcoming killing blow while believing that if it was God's will, then she will accept it.

Asia! Get away fast!" She heard Akeno say from afar, but she kept still.

Irina along with Asia and Akeno was the last standing member of the Gremory group who stood away from Asia snapped her gaze to the blonde's direction and gasped in shock as dread filled her; Not being able to mutter a word as she was overtaken by the shock of the sight she beheld.

Asia flashed Issei one last smile before she closed her eyes and waited for his attack that would end her life.

"I'm sorry for everything Issei-san, Goodbye and thank you for being my first friend," She apologized in a whisper before she felt his fist coming closer and closer to her face.

Asia no!" Akeno and Irina shouted in anguish as they witnessed their beloved friend's death; Both too late in helping Asia.

Tears started to cascade down their faces as they felt a piece of their heartbreak, but the thing that happened then made them gasp in awe and disbelief.

There stood Issei with his fist just mere inches from Asia's face.

"I...I can't do it," Issei spoke in agony for the first time since the battle begun.

"Issei-san. Thank you," Asia tenderly thanked as she slowly opened her eyes.

But before Issei could do or say anything he was quickly struck by lightning; Sending him flying into a nearby building.

Akeno who launched this attack quickly grabbed Irina's hand and dragged her with her near the others before she prepared a magic circle that would teleport them away.

* * *

 ** _AN: OK now I guess a lot of you are greatly confused as to why Issei stopped his attack midway and said he couldn't do it and that will be explained in a future chapter,_**

 ** _Ok, that's it for today. Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review! :) I'll see you next chapter!_**


	11. The Fox

_**AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the eleventh chapter of "Switching Sides"**_

 _ **Thank you for all of you who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! :)**_

 _ **This chapter is quite important for the harem.**_

 _ **This chapter would introduce the newest addition to the harem and the way she'll enter it. Now, I know that some of you would probably not like the way I did it in this chapter but know that my selection of writing it the way I did had it purpose which it served exactly how I wanted and you'll see what I mean in the future chapters :)**_

 _ **Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

When Issei woke up he was surprised to see that he no longer was on the street where he and his team has met Rias and her peerage. Instead, he found himself lying down someplace that didn't look familiar to him; Making the boy to spring to his feets in panic.

As Issei scanned his surroundings, he realized that judging from the paintings on walls and the artifacts around the room that he currently was at some sort of a shrine.

He wondered why he was at a shrine when all of a sudden everything that happened in the fight with Rias and his ex-peerage as well as the events that happened prior to that flooded his mind; Making him groan in pain following a sudden headache that attacked him in response.

He growled in exasperation as his mind replied the pleas of Rias and the rest for him to stop his attack on them; Hoping that whatever they shared in the past would affect the brunette to which they were gravely mistaken as his memories of them were no longer the happy ones he had in the past, now his memories were those full of sorrow and anguish from their betrayal.

Issei's heart was starting to pain from the thoughts about it, and so Issei decided to push those thoughts to the back of his mind for now so he could focus on figuring out where he was exactly.

Spotting a barely visible door, Issei approached it and opened it as quietly as he could so he won't alarm anyone of his presence especially when he still didn't know if whoever occupied this shrine were friendly or not.

As he tiptoed around the quiet shrine, he was starting to grow frustrated by the lack of anything that could help him to figure out where he was until he suddenly began to hear faint whispers across the long corridor; Making him hitch his breathing as he grew more nervous with each passing second.

Ready for battle Issei walked slowly to the source of the whispers which grew louder with each step; Arriving at a door that was identical to the one he used to exit his room.

Deciding to try and listen to what the peoples on the other side of the doors are saying Issei leaned his ear on the door in an attempt to improve his hearing.

"I hope he's going to wake up soon, he suffered a pretty sharp attack," A familiar voice was heard from the other side; Making Issei cock an eyebrow in confusion.

Much to the boy chagrin he had no time to ponder further about it when the door he leaned on abruptly opened which resulted in Issei falling to the floor with his face first.

"Issei?!" Vali's voice rang in surprise and delight upon seeing her companion and beloved one up and well as she ran to help him get up before enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"Issei!" Le Fay's tender voice rang out as well in happiness before she followed Vali's movements and rushed to help the brunette up before she as well enveloped him in a tight embrace while Arthur and Bikou who were not interested in hugging Issei chose to smirk instead.

* * *

After Issei had managed to release himself from the bone crushing embrace, he was enveloped in by Vali and Le Fay he flashed them a small smile before he surveyed his surroundings once again. He saw the same style of paintings on the walls as well as more artifacts that further proved his thought of this place being a shrine. His eyes then darted to Arthur and Bikou who he saw were smirking at him which he returned before once again averted his gaze only to widen his eyes when it landed on a rather familiar little girl who was accompanied by another girl who was basically the adult version of this girl; Making him to gasp in astonishment from the beauty of the girl.

The girl was a voluptuous young woman with blonde hair and matching eyes with an attire of a shrine maiden that hugged her figure perfectly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sekiryuutei-sama, my name is Yasaka, and I assume that you're already familiar with my daughter, Kunou?" The blonde beauty that was now known as Yasaska said with a gentle smile on her face and a soft voice.

Issei was still entranced by the beauty of the girl in front of him which was evident to everyone due to him continuing to stare at Yasaka lecherously.

Yasaka who blushed in response tried to hide it by covering her cheeks with her hands before she tried addressing Issei who she thought was quite handsome once again.

"Sekiryuutei-sama?" Yasaka asked as she tried to play it off like she didn't catch him staring so he wouldn't panic although this was proving to be hard as her blush intensified with each passing second that Issei stared at her.

The rest of the girls caught Issei staring and pouted in response while Vali and surprisingly Le Fay as well glared daggers at Issei for daring to look at another woman like that.

After several long minutes, Issei finally snapped out of his daze and shook his head in confusion as well as wiping a trickle of blood that appeared from his nose before he addressed the blonde beauty in front of him.

Much to his luck, Issei was still able to hear what the blonde beauty in front of him said so much to his luck he already knew her name; Reliving him that he avoided a rather awkward interaction.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Yasaka. My name's Issei. Kunou told me a lot about you," The brunette finally replied flashing the girl a grin which was returned by the latter.

"Thank you Issei-sama,"

"Please just call me Issei," Issei insisted to which he was answered with a nod from Yasaka before he was directed by the latter to sit by the table.

When Issei sat down, Yasaka quickly went ahead and poured tea into his glass before she went ahead and sat near her daughter.

"You must be wondering why we are here Yasaka," Issei said after taking a sip from his tea.

"Indeed Issei, I was quite surprised when young Vali and the rest of your team appeared at my doorstep with you unconscious in their hands," Yasaka replied in a tone that made sure to convey to Issei and his team that she was not mad from their abrupt appearance at her doorstep which they greatly appreciated as was evident in the grateful smiles they flashed her.

"Ahh sorry about that," Issei sheepishly replied while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, if don't mind me asking Issei then why is it that you were unconscious when your team arrived?" Yasaka inquired in curiosity; Staring intently at Issei as she patiently waited for him to answer.

Issei visibly tensed up after hearing the Youkai's leader question as sweat started to pour off his body as well; Making Yasaka to frown as she saw his response to her question.

"It is alright if you don't want to talk about it Issei," She reassured the brunette in a tender voice; exclaiming that he wasn't forced to divulge this information with her if it was too much for him.

Issei visibly relaxed before he shook his head and offered Yasaka a grateful smile for her worry.

"It's ok Yasaka, I'll tell you what happened,"

* * *

And so, Issei began telling Yasaka and her daughter everything that transpired ever since his last visit to their shrine. What Rias and the others did and how it pushed him into running away, how he met Vali and Cao Cao who offered him a chance to start anew in the Hero Faction and how he met his team which he grew to care for over time.

The brunette then grimaced; Greatly changing the atmosphere of the talk to a more grim one when he started to tell Yasaka and Kunou about the mission they got from Cao Cao and his unknown intentions in the case that the mission was a success.

Yasaka and Kunou freaked out as Issei expected but upon realizing that the team in front of them had not attempted to capture them yet nor have they showed any intention to the Youkai mother and daughter has both visibly relaxed as sigh of relief escaped their mouths but their relief did not live for long as Issei told them about the potential in Cao Cao sending another team, most likely a stronger and less compassionate one, to capture her in the very near future.

Yasaka and Kunou were never more grateful when they heard the reasoning behind Issei's decision of refusing to complete the mission. Kunou were overjoyed as it meant that her mother was out of harm way while Yasaka had mixed feelings about it.

She felt happiness and comfort about staying at her daughter's side, fear, worry, and uncertainty about what the future may hold them but when her thoughts drifted to the brunette who refused to capture them despite knowing the risks for this decision started to feel many emotions swirling inside of her.

She respected Issei for the noble choice he has made and the unselfishness he showed in choosing the favor of peoples who were pretty much pure strangers to him, she felt happiness that people like him still existed but all the more the feeling that was noticeably much larger than the others was the undying and growing affection that she started to feel for the brunette, a affection that she knew would never waver as long as she lives for she knew that each breath she took, each moment she spent with her daughter was made possible because of Issei's decision.

"S-So what should I and my daughter do? It's not like you, and your team would always be there for us when the need arises," Yasaka asked in desperation as she saw no solution for the problem she and her daughter faced right now.

When Yasaka asked that Issei frowned; the tone she used made his heart to ache as he no longer heard Yasaka, the Youkai leader. No, this tone showed that right now she was nothing more than a mother whose main concern is her and her daughter's wellbeing.

Issei realized something at that moment, he realized that he cared for Yasaka and Kunou much more than he thought and seeing their growing distress angered him greatly especially when he was positive that there's something he could do and so, at this very same moment of enlightenment Issei vowed to himself that he would not let Yasaka and Kunou be left alone with no one to defend them.

"Come with us," Issei said, his eyes burning with sheer determination; Generating gasps of consternation and surprise from both Yasaka and his team.

"W-What do you mean come with you?" Yasaka gulped in nervousness before she hesitantly asked while eyeing Issei warily in an attempt to figure out if the brunette had a sudden change of heart.

"I am not going to leave you and Kunou alone, not when the two of you are in danger so come with me and my team, I'll talk to Cao Cao and let him know that if he wants to live then he wouldn't dare lay a finger on you," Issei said fluently without stuttering for a second; Making Yasaka to relax as she smiled her biggest smile ever before she started to fear and worry for the brunette whose her affection to has immensely grown with each passing second; Knowing that his resolve would have great consequences for him and his team.

"W-Why?" Yasaka asked in a small voice as she cast her gaze to the floor in shame; Tears were starting to cascade down her face and onto the wooden floor.

"Why what?"

"Why are you willing to risk your life for someone worthless as me?" Yasaka asked humble and curious as she wept her tears.

When she lifted her head shortly after she didn't expect to be gripped tightly by her shoulders by Issei who now had a scowl on his face as he glared at her in unadulterated anger.

"Never say that again! Your life is not worthless nor will it ever be. You have many peoples who care and love you like Kunou, the Youkai's, and now my team and I so don't think for even a second that your life is worthless," Issei said while resuming his angry glare at Yasaka who now looked at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.

* * *

Sheer admiration. That was the feeling Yasaka was currently feeling after hearing what Issei said to her. With her eyes wide and her mouth agape, she gawked at the brunette who kept surprising her and giving her many reasons to love him along with many other things with each word that came out of his mouth. Yes, Yasaka was now more than sure that what she felt about Issei was unadulterated love. Admiration, respect, happiness, and a sense of security were also some of the feelings she felt about Issei among many other emotions.

For her, Issei was a person with a heart that couldn't be rivaled in his purity, his determination that would never waver even in the toughest situations; His happiness is like a ray of sunlight among the darkness of this world. Never in her entire life has she come across someone who was even slightly similar to Issei and she was more than grateful for receiving the chance to meet the boy who captured her in every possible way even though she met him just a few hours ago. Yasaka knew that as long as she had Issei by her side she and her daughter would be safe no matter who's standing in front of them.

One thing for sure, Yasaka couldn't wait to get to know Issei much better and to hopefully be a constant in his life along with her daughter. Hoping that they both will spend the rest of their lives with their guardian who ironically was a Dragon and an ex-Devil and not an Angel.

And Yasaka knew, she knew that leaving with her daughter to go with Issei is the best choice not only for the both of them but for the Youkai's she led as well because those who will be put in grave danger when the enemy comes knocking on the door would be the Youkai's and as a dedicated leader she couldn't allow her own peoples to get in danger because of her.

So when Yasaska snapped back to reality by being shaken slightly by Issei, she found herself doing something that she never thought she would. At least not yet.

She kissed him.

* * *

Issei looked at the awe-struck Yasaka for several minutes before he decided to shake her to make sure she was ok.

He didn't know why but Yasaka was different. He couldn't explain it other than feeling a great deal of affection for the girl who he met several hours ago along the sheer determination to defend her and her daughter no matter what.

He never thought that everything that happened to him he would find it in his breaking heart to care about a person like this. Sure there was his team, but they gained his trust and caring over time, unlike Yasaka which for some reason quickly secured herself and her daughter a large spot in the broken mess he called a heart.

But he knew better; He knew that he needed time to trust Yasaka despite the affection he felt for her fully.

At first, Rias was similar to Yasaka. The redhead held a big piece of his slightly broken heart at that time but he knew what happened next and so, he couldn't afford himself the luxurious of trusting Yasaka right off the bat, with or without the great affection he felt for the Youkai fox.

He wondered how Yasaka felt about him.

 _'She must think I'm the weirdest person she met,'_ Issei thought to himself in amusement; Not realizing how far his thoughts were from reality.

But reality came crushing on the boy when Yasaka suddenly assaulted his lips with so much vigor and passion that actually surprised him.

His eyes widened from the shock he had felt from Yasaka's sudden assault on his lips before he felt the feelings that she tried to convey to him through this kiss flooding him.

He felt it all. The great affection she as well felt about him, the happiness of him saving her and her daughter, and her admiration.

But he would be foolish if he thought that was it because the one who kissed him felt much more than what a kiss could transmit.

Issei found himself doing the one thing he never imagined he would; He relented and returned the kiss with equal passion and emotions which he hoped Yasaka would perceive correctly due to his... Emotional condition.

And Yasaka did which made her lean on Issei more but much to her dismay they were both interrupted shortly after by an enraged Vali and Le Fay who got over their initial shock of seeing Issei and Yasaka kiss; Both girl's releasing a fair amount of killer intent aimed at the Fox Youkai who shivered slightly in response.

When she and Issei parted, words were not needed for them to show each other how they felt, meeting each other eyes was the only thing they required for the both of them to know that they'll have to talk alone afterward when the chance appears.

Issei looked at Vali and Le Fay and gulped nervously from the glares they gave both him and Yasaka which he tried his hardest to ignore but to no avail as he kept feeling like their looks pierced him.

"Y-You should all stay the night here and rest before we'll all leave tomorrow," Yasaka nervously said as she did her very best not to look at the two girls eyes before she quickly stood up and told everyone to go to their rooms.

As everyone left Issei who was the last one to leave was about the exit the door into the big hall when he felt a hand on his shoulder; Making him stop and look at Yasaka whose hand belonged to her.

"Thank you," Yasaka said in sincerity and gratefulness before she and Issei left the room and into the hall that would help lead them each to their respective rooms where they would spend a nightless sleep; Each figuring out their emotions for one another.

* * *

 _ **AN: I hope you liked the chapter and as I said above, the way I let Yasaka in the harem had a purpose so before you criticize that it was "Too fast" or "Rushed" I suggest you'll wait for the future chapters when the purpose for it would be clear :)**_

 _ **Now, don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review! I'll see you next chapter :)**_


	12. Rising Conflicts

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the twelfth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone who took their time to favorite, follow, and review!_**

 ** _This is probably the longest chapter of this story, and you'll soon see why and I hope you'll like how it came out because I do :)_**

 ** _I hope that this chapter would make a lot of things much clearer about the girls and the feelings they feel towards Issei because that was my intention when I wrote this chapter._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy! And please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

Issei was in his room, laying down on his bed where he waked up a few minutes ago.

He looked at the ceiling as he tried to move his hand to support his head only to groan in pain from even the slight movement.

 ** _['You did good partner, you should return to sleep,']_** Ddraig recommended his partner after feeling the latter increasing exhaustion and pain; feeling proud at the brunette for what he did in the past few days.

 _'Thanks, Ddraig...But still, I wish I could have been stronger. If it weren't for that then I would've died for sure, '_ Issei addressed his partner back in slight happiness from the Dragon's praises for what he achieved before his thoughts changed to what has happened earlier; making him to frown as he slumped his shoulders in shame and defeat.

 ** _['I know, partner and in time you will but for now just be careful... You should get some more sleep now partner so you could heal quicker,']_**

 _'Ok, Ddraig. Thanks again,'_

Issei had yawned before he closed his eyes while he hoped that if he returned back to sleep, the pain would subside; loud snoring could be heard shortly after by anyone who passed by his room.

While the boy slept heavily, his mind, instead of allowing him to have the nice dream he longed for, replied the events that transpired in the recent few days.

* * *

 ** _(Last night...)_**

Issei and his team with the addition of Yasaka had woken up in dawn and were currently helping Yasaka and Kunou to pack their stuff that they would bring with them to their new home.

Fear, Anxiety, Happiness, Safety. These were the feelings that the blonde shrine maiden and her daughter felt as they packed their belonging while they thought about one thing; A new life, and it scared Yasaka a lot.

Each item she placed in her luggage was placed there hesitantly, and with hands that shook violently until the item has been put in the luggage, then she would breathe a sigh of relief and repeat the process.

She was scared, scared that agreeing to Issei's offer was a bad idea. Scared that her daughter would be endangered because of her and the choice she made. She didn't know Cao Cao, but from what Issei's team told her she knew that he was not someone to mess with and that was because of his Longinus, the Saint Longinus Spear.

But from time to time she would glance at Issei and all of a sudden she felt a lot lighter like a big weight has been lifted from her shoulders as well as a warm feeling that flooded her from inside that soothe her from her fears.

Fear and Anxiety were replaced with happiness and safety when she saw Issei, the man who had such a big effect on her life after such a short time she knew him, and Vali, who she considered as a newfound friend who she was sure would become one of her best friends.

She was happy to be with Issei and the rest, and she felt safe when she thought about the legendary Dragon of Domination, and the Dragon of Supremacy who she knew would protect her and her daughter when danger arises, and for that she was grateful.

"All right we're finally finished!" Issei ecstatically yelled as he put his clenched fist near his head triumphally.

"It seems like we are," Yasaka replied with a small smile aimed at the boy whose antics she found amusing; happy from finishing with her and Kunou's packing.

"Let's go then!" Issei said in excitement as everyone just nodded and slowly vacated the room, everyone except Yasaka who stayed behind with her head down and her gaze aimed at her now closed luggage.

"Are you ok?" Issei softly asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort the girl from whatever has troubled her mind.

"Y-Yeah.." She stuttered hesitantly; hoping that Issei would drop the issue at that.

But, to her slight dismay, the boy did not drop it at that.

"I know you're lying Yasaka so tell me, what's wrong?" Issei said in a commanding voice that showed the blonde that no was not something he wanted to hear from her.

"Was it the right choice?" Yasaska vaguely asked Issei who cocked an eyebrow in perplexion.

"What is?"

"Did my choice of coming with you was the right thing to do? What if Kunou would be in danger? What would happen if Cao Cao won't allow us to stay with you?" She nervously asked as her anxiety returned but much more intense than earlier.

Issei wouldn't take it; he quickly spun Yasaka so she would face him and placed both his hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her mesmerizing golden yellow eyes.

"Listen to me; I said I would protect you and Kunou and I will even if it means me dying because I care for the both of you and I will protect you like I have protected every other person I care for!" His words took Yasaka back; the sheer determination he possessed and the confident that he'll be able to protect them. She now remembered what was it that made Issei capture her. When she packed her thoughts were so clouded with her dread and anxiousness that she forgot but now...Now she fully remembers why.

"Thank you Issei," She said with a sincere smile before she captured his lips in an intense but short kiss.

Once they parted a thread of saliva could be seen connecting their mouths.

"I care a lot for you Yasaka, for you and Kunou and as the Dragon of Domination, I would destroy those who try to lay their hands on you two," He deadpanned before his expression softened and revealed a small, reassuring smile that caused Yasaka to tightly embrace Issei, who returned the gesture.

Shortly after they parted from their embrace and quickly went outside where the rest waited for them.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Issei sheepishly said as he rubbed the back of his head after noticing the irritation Vali, Kuroka, and Bikou held.

"Let's just hurry," Vali said before Le Fay formed a magic circle and teleported them back to the Hero Faction's HQ.

* * *

Shortly after they found themselves in the main, and currently empty hall of the Hero Faction's HQ.

"It seems like the hall is empty. Wait here, and I'll go get Cao Cao," Vali commanded everyone before she started her walk to Cao Cao's chambers only to stop a step afterward when the door to the hall suddenly opened and from it emerged an exasperated Cao Cao who glared at Vali's team.

"I see you came back although not with the results I hoped you'll achieve, Jeanne told me what happened but it seems like you brought the fox with you so I'll let this one slide," Cao Cao said in an emotionless tone as he gazed at Issei's team, mostly on Yasaka who nervously played with her fingers as she avoided his piercing and intimidating gaze.

As Cao Cao was about to reach Yasaka and take her from Issei and his team he was surprised when Issei stepped in between him and the blonde, but his surprise faded, and anger replaced it when he figured the meaning of Issei's action a few seconds afterward; glaring at the brunette in response.

"What is the meaning of this Issei?" He asked with an elevated voice that meant to intimidate Issei and make him step down along with his hard glare that was aimed at the brunette.

"I am not going to let you take her Cao Cao! I brought them so they could live under my and my team's watch instead of staying at Kyoto and be threatened by the next team you'll send to kidnap her," Issei said; elevating his voice as well while glaring daggers at the raven haired guy.

"And what makes you think you'll be able to stop me?" He asked in mockery while rolling his eyes.

 ** _[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker]_ ** Ddraig voice roared through the halls of the Hero Faction; shocking everyone who were present with the exception of Cao Cao who smirked.

"Balance Breaker eh? Are you sure you want to go down that way, Issei?" Cao Cao asked in an emotionless tone as his hand drifted to his spear; making everyone aware of his intentions.

"I'm sure,"

The next thing everyone witnessed was Cao Cao's spear making it's way to Issei's abdomen only to eventually pierce nothing but air.

"Running already?" Cao Cao taunted while snickering only to stop when a fist interlocked with his face; sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

The next thing everyone saw was the dust that the Cao Cao's collision with the wall generated as well as pieces of debris that flew from the wall.

"I gotta admit that was quite a punch, but...You'll have to do much more than that to take me down," Cao Cao said as he climbed out of the hole in the wall as he rubbed the place Issei's punch made contact with.

"I didn't expect it," Issei said while smirking under his helmet before he dashed at Cao Cao again with one goal in his mind; to protect Yasaka and Kunou from being taken.

* * *

 ** _(One Hour Later...)_**

The fight between Issei and Cao Cao has been going on for one hour already and so far both sides doesn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon.

Currently, they were engaged in another face off with each other; Issei using his fists while Cao Cao dodged them and would occasionally try to impale Issei with his spear but to no avail.

"Give up already Cao Cao!" Issei yelled at Cao Cao who now was nothing more than his enemy.

Issei hated to think of Cao Cao as an enemy, but he knew that in order to protect his team from the consequences of their actions and Yasaka and Kunou from their forlorn fate he had to do this, he had to fight Cao Cao even when he knew that the man could outmatch him... Something Cao Cao has yet to do, and Issei was confused from that because he was aware that it was possible so why haven't he done it yet? He knew that Cao Cao was very serious when it came to the goals of the Hero Faction so why didn't he took him down? He was defending the person Cao Cao deemed to be vital for their organization's plans; he found this all very odd, but that didn't mean that he'll give up the fight with so much at stake.

But, Cao Cao was also someone he held in high regards. He was the one who along with Vali gave him a third chance in life... A new life, a life that hopefully would not bring him the same pain his last two brought him.

If it wasn't for the two of them, Issei was sure that he would either become a stray Devil, alone to fend off his enemies or would have killed himself from the grieve he felt from Rias words.

"I was going to say the same thing to you Issei," He heard Cao Cao reply as he continued to dodge his punches.

"I am not going to give up Cao Cao! Not when it concerns people I care deeply for," The brunette replied with sheer determination that made Cao Cao quite impressed although he wouldn't show it.

"Very well, then you should suffer the fate that comes to every person who opposed my ideals,"

"Bring it on!" Issei replied in vigor as adrenaline kept pumping into him, more so now that he knew Cao Cao was going to get serious.

The next thing Vali and the rest of the observers saw made them gasp in horror; they saw Cao Cao's spear making its way towards Issei abdomen with no obstacle in its way.

"Issei no!" The girls cried in horror while the guys just dropped their head in sadness from the consequences the attack would bring.

* * *

Vali couldn't believe it. Here was the one she loved so much fighting her leader who was mere seconds from impaling her loved one and she knew exactly what that meant; it meant death.

Many emotions were swirling inside her as she helplessly watched the horrid scene unfold; anger, sorrow, anguish where the most dominant feelings along with the feeling of helplessness that made her loathe herself at the moment for letting it happen, but the one feeling that rivaled her helplessness was the feeling of regret, regret for missing any chance she had to do the thing she wanted the most; to confess her feelings to Issei.

When she thought about the chances she had to confess to Issei; chances that would never occur again after the spear will make contact with Issei, she felt broken. She felt like a part of her was slowly starting to fade from her.

She forced herself to look at the horrid scene so she could remind herself of her failure to prevent it from happening.

She watched with tears but then, she gasped from the thing that happened next.

* * *

Yasaka felt dread, horror, anguish, and sorrow when she watched the scene in front of her.

She might have known Issei for only a day or so but the impact the brunette made on her life was more than anyone else but her daughter had made.

She found this fact to be weird at first, but as the hours went by it became less and less weird for her as she realized exactly why the impact he made in her life was that severe.

His determination, his unwavering will, his confidence, his urge to protect his loved ones no matter the cost. Those were few of the many things that made her be captured by the brunette and made her want to spend the rest of her life with him alongside her newfound friends.

 _'Issei... You promised me,'_ She thought in agony as the promise Issei made her last night flashed in her mind. She didn't feel betrayed from the promise breaking; she felt sad, sad because she knew that Issei failed his promise and lost his life because he protected her and Kunou and the feeling of guilt that realization made she would carry for the rest of her life.

She felt like she missed a great chance to have a man whose heart will be big enough to love her, Kunou, Vali, and the rest who she knew carried similar feelings to Issei which she didn't mind, she felt like she missed someone who would be someone Kunou could call father too, and that broke her heart because if there was one thing her daughter deserved the most was to grow up with someone she could call him father.

She watched the scene in front of her as the thoughts of _'What could have been'_ flashed through her mind, but she gasped in utter shock from the thing that happened next.

* * *

Le Fay watched the one she cherished being mere moments away from being impaled by a spear to his abdomen; tears cascading down her cheeks in a steady flow.

For her, Issei was a lot of things, a role-model, someone she could rely on no matter the situation, a friend and with time, she hoped he would be something more than that.

Her mind took her back to the fateful promise Issei made her when they met at this very hall for the first time as a team; a promise he swore never to break. The promise to protect her no matter what, even at the cost of his life.

Her flow of tears only intensified when she thought about the first time she met him back in Kyoto. How he comforted her without even knowing who she was, how he boosted her delicate confidence with his sincere compliments and how kindly he treated her even though he could've just stared at her crying form and instead, continue to walk with his friends and continue his life.

For Le Fay, she was like a blooming flower when Issei was the water she needed in order to survive; the water that would strengthen her and help her grow, water that without it, she would most likely cease to exist. That much impact the brunette had on her life, and it baffled her, never in her life she expected something like that to happen.

She watched with agony as the spear continued to get closer and closer. She promised to herself at that very moment that if Issei would survive this then no longer she would tell Issei how she feels about him even if he won't reciprocate those feelings.

But, the next thing the blonde wizard saw made her gasp in astonishment.

* * *

Kuroka dreadfully watched Issei being mere seconds from being impaled to death by Cao Cao.

She couldn't really comprehend this but, for her, the boy was someone she considered special.

Sure, she had a few boyfriends in her past, some she was more involved with than the others, but none of them were like Issei. No, they were far from being like him.

 _'Was it because of that talk?'_ She thought to herself in curiosity as the feeling of dread continued to intensify with each passing second; thinking about the talk she and Issei had after their mission at the Grigori labs and how he reacted to the things she told him when they were alone.

She knew that even though her past boyfriends did listen to her on the rare occasions, she would show genuine emotions instead of her typical teasing, but she knew they listened only because they were interested in having their way with them which they never had; at least not how they wanted it.

The furthest anyone got was to fondle her breasts, and even that only lasted for a few short minutes before she pushed the man off of her and crushed any chance he had to proceed from that point.

After all the boyfriends she had who were pretty much the same Kuroka lost her faith at men completely and instead resorted to just teased them for her own pleasure and for their dismay.

But, when she looked at Issei she saw that he had something that none of them had... He was different, he listened because he cared and not because he wanted to get into her pants, he comforted her when she needed it and expected nothing in return, and for that, she was more than grateful.

As time went by from that talk at the forest her faith in men has been mostly restored thanks to the brunette but she was still skeptical about men and their motives.

 _'Maybe it was just a good facade?'_ She asked herself a few days after the talk but with each mission her team went too she saw Issei's genuine desire to protect her and her team even at the cost of his life and that made the doubt she had in her heart to fade away and instead being replaced with great love to the man who for once, cared about her as a person and not as some busty girl he could get his way with only to dump her afterwards. Issei was a man who carried a pain similar to hers, and because of that, she knew that he was probably the only person who could understand her completely.

At this moment, Kuroka realized that Issei was someone she never wanted to be apart with, someone she wanted to stand by his side when he fought valiantly to protect her and his friends. He was someone Kuroka now knew for sure that she loved and because of that she made herself a promise at the moment, a promise to heal Issei's pain and hopefully be someone he would come to love the same way she loved him.

She tried to avert her gaze from the painful scene, but she found herself gasping in utter surprise from the thing that transpired next.

* * *

It happened so fast. He was fighting with him and then all of a sudden his attack's direction changed abruptly and was heading towards his abdomen, but when he noticed the incoming spear it was already too late for him.

Cao Cao used his spear with so much grace that it would've seemed like the boy started training with the spear a day after he came out of his mother's womb; making him snicker sadly in response.

Issei took the few seconds he had before the spear impaled him to internally apologize for the people who were watching with agony and sorrow.

He hated this, he hated being the reason for their sadness, and it made him seething at the mere thought of that, but he knew that even if he traveled back in time he wouldn't be able to change the course of actions that led to this event and thus he couldn't avoid what is seemed to be his imminent death.

He braced himself for the pain that would only last a second before he would be enveloped in a blackness that would never disappear.

He looked to his side where his friends were; wanting them to be the last sight he would behold. He saw their expressions, and it broke the mess he called a heart even more than it was before.

He turned his gaze back at Cao Cao as he couldn't bare to watch his friend's expressions anymore.

 _'Thank you Ddraig, for everything. I'm sorry for being this weak,'_ Issei told his partner who he came to consider as his best friend and someone he cared greatly for.

Ddraig didn't answer, and that made Issei quite confused and sad.

 _'Is he ashamed that I lost my life in such a way?'_ He thought sadly as to why his partner wouldn't respond.

He sighed in sadness before he closed his eyes and embraced himself for the hit, but nothing would've prepared him for the thing that happened next.

The next thing Issei knew he felt a rush of power coursing through his veins, power that felt like blazing flames; making him hiss in pain. But, for some reason, he couldn't stop even if he wanted too, even if the pain was too agonizing to bear.

 ** _[Welsh Dragon Crimson Sorrow]_** Ddraig voice roared vigorously in the hall; surprising everyone who were present before their eyes widen from what they saw next.

They saw Issei, who had his scale mail jewels glowing, holding Cao Cao's spear whose tip already touched his armor with his left hand while his right hand charged what they think was probably one of the most powerful Dragon Shots they witnessed.

"Dragon Shot!" Issei whose voice was now a mix between his and Ddraig's roared as he released his attack on Cao Cao who couldn't dodge it; sending him crashing into a nearby wall at an unbelievable speed.

* * *

While everyone had the same line of thought that Ddraig got involved in this attack in order to stop Issei's death was right, although not entirely right.

Issei had complete awareness and control of what he had done, but he also felt a searing urge to do what he did which he assumed came from Ddraig.

The thing Ddraig announced was something Issei had never heard before nor was it mentioned by Ddraig, and he wondered what the hell it was and how it helped him to avoid what would have been his demise.

'Ddraig! What the hell was that?!' Issei asked the Dragon in bewilderment; looking for answers before Cao Cao, who he knew survived this attack would appear again.

 ** _['To put it simply, the Boosted Gear reacted to your intense emotions of sorrow and fury as well as my own sorrow for possibly loosing you, the best partner I had, and powered you up so you could avoid the thing that caused the burst of emotions in the two of us; Cao Cao's impaling attack,']_**

 _'I see,'_ Issei simply replied as he was at a lost for words.

 ** _['You have to know partner that the toll this powerup took on you was a major one and I'm afraid that you wouldn't last very long in a fight now,]_** Ddraig told Issei who scowled in response to the news Ddraig delivered.

 _'Well then, I have to make every second count,'_ Issei replied; replacing his scowl with a smirk.

He averted his gaze towards the place Cao Cao had gone crashing into when he heard the sound of debris being moved around.

"No one ever had the chance to escape my spear nor did they had the chance to inflict the damage you caused me, and for that, I must say that I'm very impressed Issei. I do not wish to fight you anymore because you proved me the distance you'll go to keep your resolve, despite it being against our ideals, I will allow the Youkai leader and her daughter to stay here without harm," Cao Cao replied with an impressed tone that showed Issei that he was genuinely impressed with him; making him smile in return from both the compliment and the fact that he wouldn't have to continue fighting him anymore.

Issei didn't get to respond because the next thing he knew he was forced out of his Balance Breaker and into the floor as the pain from his power up has started to take its toll on him.

His friends came rushing at his side when they saw it and quickly offered any kind of support to the brunette whose eyes were slowly closing down.

"D...Don't worry; I...I'm okay..." Issei said weakly before his eyes have closed down; making everyone hysteric as they thought the brunette had died, but they soon calmed down when they heard his steady pulse.

"I guess that attack took a heavy toll on him," Vali said while flashing a big grin at Issei before she and the rest have carried him to his room.


	13. Ouroboros

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the thirteenth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! :)_**

 ** _Now, this chapter will introduce yet another member to the harem and will also focus on character developing that would have high importance in the future of the story. This chapter would also answer some questions you had since the first chapter and some questions from the recent ones._**

 ** _I used the LN's translation at the first part of the chapter because it fit well with the plans I have for the future of the story although I changed it so it would fit the story, so I want to thank the translators who worked hard on this awesome translation to the LN!_**

 ** _This story still have a long way to it and many arcs and new characters are to come (Not OC) and I hope you are excited to see them like I am to write them :) I also used this chapter like a few before it to give hints about the future arcs and such in the story so look out for those._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

The next time Issei woke up he was clueless.

Clueless about what time it was, how long he has been awake, and why he awoke to the feeling of being poked on his forehead. When he thought about the last thing, he quickly turned his head to scan the room only to find a little girl sitting by his bedside with a stoic expression.

He stared intently at the girl with a strained expression as he tried to search his mind as to where he has seen her before, but ended up having a frown grace his face as he couldn't find it; making him frustrated.

 _'I know this girl! I just don't remember who she is...'_ Issei thought to himself in frustration.

 ** _['Uhh partner, this is...']_** Ddraig started to say only to get interjected by Issei.

 _'Shut up Ddraig! I can figure this out myself,'_ Issei told his partner; trying to scavenge the last remains of his pride as he tried his hardest to figure out the girl's identity.

As he continued to stare at her the more familiar, she was to him, but still, he couldn't put a name to her.

She looked to be a young girl with black hair that cascaded down to her hips and had gray eyes and an overall look of a Gothic Lolita.

He rubbed his chin as he continued to study the girl while a bit of his hope to find out her identity was lost with each passing second until...

 _'This is Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon and the leader of the Khaos Brigade,'_ He remembered Vali telling him after their fight with Diodora at the rating game they were supposed to have, moments before he passed out from his Incomplete Juggernaut Drive Transformation.

*poke poke* He felt his forehead being poked by the girl he now recognized as Ophis once again; her eyes showing curiosity as she continued to poke him several times.

"Is Ddraig ok?" She asked him before getting deep into Issei's personal space to investigate his, or Ddraig as she referred to him, condition.

"Y...You're Ophis! What are you doing here?!" Issei asked in bewilderment and shock after finding the voice to speak the feelings of shock and utter confusion at what Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon and the strongest entity in the universe along Great Red, is doing in his room.

"I want to talk" Ophis replied nonchalantly making Issei sweatdrop at how carefree and void of any emotions she looked.

 ** _["What is it Ophis?"]_** Ddraig asked as a bright light shone before the Boosted Gear appeared at the brunette's left hand; it's jewel blinking as the Dragon within it continued to speak.

"Ddraig. Do you want to quit being a Heavenly Dragon?" Ophis question caused the brunette to become perplexed; cocking his eyebrow in confusion as he looked carefully at the girl, not understanding the meaning of her question.

"I...I don't understand Ophis,"

"The human who is the host. He's been having a different sense of growth up until now. I think this is very strange. Very different from previous Heavenly Dragons. Vali is also the same. Strange. Very strange." Ophis explained, but her explanation only seemed to make Issei more confused than he was before.

"Mine and Vali's growth?" Issei asked; finding this to be weird.

"The fight against the redhead. The fight against Cao Cao. Ddraig has different evolutions. Armor turned crimson colored. Intense feelings trigger hidden powers. It's the first time. The first time I know of..." Ophis conclusion caused Issei to understand a little bit of what the girl in front of him meant.

"That's why I want to ask. Ddraig. What will you become?" Ophis asked while twitching her neck which Issei found as cute in his opinion.

 ** _["I don't know Ophis. I don't know what this guy wants to become. I don't know but… It's certain that he has an interesting growth,"]_** Ddraig replied instead of Issei who looked to be searching for an answer but thanked internally for the Dragon for answering instead of him.

"Two-heavenly dragons mixed, I, as the _"infinite"_ and Great Red as the _"dream"_ into the chant. Ddraig, why did you think of becoming the king of domination?"

 ** _["It must be the result of seeking strength. Because of that, I was eliminated. I couldn't become strong beside increasing the power of "domination." I never thought that my red color could turn to crimson,"]_** Ddraig answered Ophis question with honesty.

"I don't understand _"domination."_ Those from _"Khaos Brigade"_ seek domination. I don't understand. Great-Red isn't _"domination."_ I also am not _"domination.""_

 ** _["There is no way for a being that has been strong from the beginning would be able to understand the reasons for "domination." You who was born from the "nothingness" of "infinite" and Great-Red who was born from "illusions" from "dream" must have been from a different dimension. Ophis. You appeared in this World getting out from the dimensional gap. What have you attained from this World, and why did you think of returning to your homeland?"]_** Ddraig told Ophis.

"I also want to question you. Ddraig. Why do you try to become a different being? Will you discard _"domination"_? What is ahead after that?" She asked although her voice wouldn't show any hint of curiosity in it.

While Ddraig and Ophis were conversing Issei found himself completely dumbfounded about their conversation, not understanding a thing the two Dragons were saying, but the next question Ophis asked caught both Issei and Ddraig by surprise.

"Ddraig, will you become the Chichiryutei? Can you surpass a Heavenly-dragon by groping tits? Ddraig, will you become a dragon that represents tits?" Issei found himself snickering hard from this question while Ddraig inhaled some air before he spoke.

 ** _["Ugg….Even Ophis ends up saying that… Uuu! Haahaa…"]_** Ddraig cried in anguish; making Issei worry that Ddraig was about to break down from the mental damage he received.

"Ddraig relax! Remember the promise I made you!" Issei told his partner as he tried to calm him down; hoping the Dragon would remember the promise he made to restore his title as the Dragon Of Domination.

 ** _["Ah...Yeah, S-sorry... Thanks, partner,"]_**

"I want to look. Ddraig. I want to look at this possessor even more." Ophis said while staring at Issei who nervously gulped in response.

 ** _["Well, you could spend more time with him so you could learn more about him,"]_** Ddraig advised Ophis who nodded in response, accepting Ddraig proposition.

"Very well... I shall spend more time with your possessor... But, I'm not done, there's more I want to talk about," The Ouroboros Dragon said now turning serious.

"Unlike Vali you do not possess two power sources, not anymore, but it seemed like your potential to develop a new evolution for your Longinus is very high. I want to help you, so I'll give you my blessing, but it will not be enough for the new evolution, and my snakes wouldn't suffice since this evolution requires more power than they can ever provide. For now, know that achieving this powerful evolution is very close to being possible, but you'll have to be patient until you can achieve it," Ophis told Issei who looked at her with his mouth agape.

"W...What do you mean?" He asked but received no answer. Instead, Ophis used her blessing on Issei and told him one more thing before she would leave the room.

"The bond you two share grow strong with each passing day, I can sense it. Soon, the two of you shall become one, and for the first time the world shall witness powers like never before," Ophis said before she jumped from her chair and left the room without looking back at Issei who stretched his hand as he tried to stop her from leaving before she answered the questions that plagued his mind, questions that only multiplied in number after the vague statement Ophis made.

* * *

Issei stayed in his bed, gazing at his left hand that hosted the Boosted Gear while he was deep in thought.

It has been fifteen minutes since Ophis has left his room and since then Issei continued to stare at the red gauntlet while his mind was elsewhere trying to make sense of the things the Dragon said.

"I don't understand...What the hell did she mean?" Issei voiced the question that burned in his mind with a whisper full of perplexion.

 ** _["I don't understand it all too partner, but Ophis was right about one thing, you do seem to have incredible growth in your power and your utilization of the Boosted Gear. The way the Boosted Gear reacted to your emotions in your fight against Cao Cao was something both me, and Ophis has never seen, and that's why she got interested in you, this along with many other things as Ophis told you,"]_** Ddraig interjected his partner's thought, shedding his opinion on the matter.

"I guess so...But what about the thing she told me right before she left?"

 ** _["I don't know the meaning behind what she told you before nor do I know who was the_ _another_ _person Ophis talked about, perhaps she_ _referred_ _to the bond we share after she learned of what happened in the fight with Cao Cao? For now, I'm afraid the only thing we can do is guess,"]_** The Welsh Dragon told his partner as he as well was dumbfounded after the talk with Ophis just like his partner.

Issei just nodded at his partner words and resumed to stare at the red gauntlet while his mind tried to make sense of the many things that plagued it.

* * *

 ** _(Two Days Later...)_**

It has been two days since the talk Issei, Ddraig and Ophis had and so far Issei seems to cope well with the information Ophis provided to him after spending ample time to try and comprehend it.

It wasn't every day that a being like Ophis came to talk to you and Issei knew that so he knew that whatever she told him vague or not had great importance, and he didn't try to neglect that fact even one bit.

The brunette spent the next two days training hard with his Longinus as he tried to improve his strength and durability during a fight with and without his scale mail, but most of all he wanted to learn about the Longinus that kept surprising him.

The thing that happened during the fight with Cao Cao never left his mind even for a second. How he cheated certain death thanks to the Boosted Gear that adorned his left hand.

While Ddraig did explain Issei exactly what happened, the Dragon also told him that none of his past possessors ever reached the same level he did with the Longinus and the way it corresponds to its possessor emotions like with Issei, and it made the brunette feel both pride and confusion as to why he was the first to achieve this level.

After Issei had finished his long and hard training, he ended up collapsing on the ground with his hands stretched out while his chest continued to rise and fall repeatedly with each pant.

"That was exhausting," Issei said to no one between his panting.

 ** _['So it seems, but you made great progress today and if you continue to do so then I'm sure you'll get much stronger, and in time, maybe even achieve the evolution Ophis mentioned,']_** Ddraig praised his partner within the latter subconscious; happy with the effort and progress the brunette is making.

To be able to valiantly protect those he cared. That was the main purpose behind Issei's tremendous effort behind his training and Ddraig considered it to be a noble thought he knew that's just how Issei acted naturally, always willing to risk his life for those he cared.

The other reason behind Issei's training brought tears to the Dragon eyes, and that reason was to get stronger so they could restore their lost title as the Dragon Of Domination. At first, Ddraig believed with all his heart that Issei promise to restore the title was genuine, but as time went by he thought that Issei forgot about it and he gave up on ever being the mighty Dragon Of Domination again, so when he found out about this reason for Issei's training it brought tears to his eyes along with a great amount of respect for Issei. He always considered Issei to be the best partner he had, but now he was sure of it more than before because none of the former possessors cared for him as a being like Issei did. No, they all cared for the power he brought them and nothing else.

"You look like shit," Issei snapped his head to the direction the voice came from to find Vali standing there with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face as she scanned Issei's body with interest that made Issei blush furiously.

"Yeah...Thanks, Vali," Issei sarcastically replied after huffing in annoyance.

"So...What do you want Vali?"

"Nothing really, I came to talk to you about something," Vali answered as she took a seat on the ground near the lying form of Issei.

"Huh? What you want to talk about then?" He asked in wonder as he turned his head to Vali who just had her gaze set in front of her.

"Why did you spare her?" Vali suddenly asked in a voice that had a hint of sadness that tried hard to be concealed but to no avail.

"What are you talking about Vali?" Issei asked in confusion as he started to sit, but he didn't need her to specify, he already knew who she talked about since he asked himself the same question ever since this happened as well and it took him a long time to reach a definitive answer.

"You know who...I'm talking about that blonde girl from your old peerage, Asia I think her name was?"

"To be honest I asked myself the same question ever since it happened," Issei told her.

"And?" She asked in slight annoyance from how Issei took his time to speak.

"I don't know how to explain this. I guess that when I looked at her seconds before my fist connected with her face I didn't see the girl who caused me great pain alongside Rias and the rest, I saw the good times we both had with each other and the things we've been through like how I saved her from Raynare and became her first friend, the kiss she gave me when I woke up from the coma I was in after Rias forced me out of my incomplete Juggernaut Drive, and many other moments we shared just the two of us or with the peerage," Issei told her before he sighed in sadness from the once good memories that for him, were now nothing more than a cold reminder to the pain Asia and the rest caused him.

Vali frowned after hearing what Issei said. Many emotions were storming within the silver-haired girl right now, feelings she wished never to feel.

 _'Is he still have feelings for them?'_ She asked herself in sorrow as she thought of the possibility of her loved one slipping right through her fingers once again.

When she saw the kiss Issei and Yasaka shared that night at Kyoto, she felt her heart beginning to crack, but she would never show this side of her to anyone, the side she considered to be nothing more than a weakness. But Vali glued the cracks together when she plagued her mind with positive thoughts, that her chance with Issei didn't waver nor decreased after that kiss. She knew Issei once had a big enough heart to love more than one person in it, that he'll treat them equally and would never love the other more than the rest because that's just how he is, or at least was before Rias and the rest crushed the big heart that beat vigorously in his chest, filled with love and compassion towards the girls in his old peerage, love that was replaced with great amount of pain, and because of that Vali wasn't sure anymore that Issei would be able to actually love more than one person, but that didn't mean she couldn't continue to think and hope for it.

She knew that the next thing she was about to do was probably the most awkward thing she has ever done, but she knew she had to do it; she had to do it so she could be at peace, she had to do it, so the hurtful doubt and negative thoughts that continued to linger will be replaced with certainly.

"D...Do you still love them?" She weakly asked Issei in a hesitant tone.

* * *

Issei scowled at the question Vali asked him. He closed his eyes and started to think about his feelings towards the girls in his peerage; something that made Vali slightly worried.

After several minutes Issei finally broke the silence that lingered after Vali's question.

"To answer your question no, I don't love them, but sadly it's more complicated than that. Despite the pain the Rias and the girls caused me, pain that haunts me to this day, the fond memories we shared together continues to exist in my mind, and because of those memories, I guess I have a very small spot for them in my heart. After all, Rias was the one that saved me after Raynare killed me, but does that mean I'll forgive them for what they've done to me? No, even if I wanted to forgive them I couldn't find it in my too because the pain I felt at that moment far exceeded the happiness I felt from all our time together," Issei truthfully answered Vali as he looked her in the eyes.

Of course, he wanted to say more. He wanted to say how she, Yasaka, Kuroka, and Le Fay started to slowly fill the empty void that Rias and the others left, how they made him to slowly start thinking that he can love once again without fearing for betrayal, but he decided against it since he still had doubts, doubts that were made by both his old peerage and Raynare. He knew that even though he started to slowly believe that he could find it in him to love again, it would take him some time before he could fully do that, he wanted to be careful about it even though Vali and the rest had completely earned his trust. He wanted to tell them what he felt towards them, the great affection he had towards all of them, an affection that he slowly started to consider as pure love, but he couldn't, not now at least, and he didn't know when he would be able too.

Vali looked at Issei, a smile now adorning her face. She was filled with relief and joy when Issei told her he would never love the girls in his peerage again nor he'll forgive them. She thought to herself that now when the doubts had been cleared and were replaced she had to do something, she had to act so Issei would know of her feelings towards him, but she didn't want to say it out loud, so she did the only thing that came to her mind that hopefully will show Issei that she had feelings for him.

She crawled to Issei and gave him a kiss on the lips, a kiss that she hoped would give the brunette a small peak at the feelings she felt towards him every single day.

The brunette widened his eyes in response to the point where they threaten to burst out of their socket after what Vali did. Many thoughts flooded his mind as he comprehended the feelings he felt from that kiss but decided to push them for later in favor of deepening the kiss with Vali.

The warmness her pink, full lips provided was something he never felt before. Their tenderness, the passion, the vigor. Those were things he felt before but never to the extent he was feeling right now which greatly surprised him.

 _'Since when...Vali?'_ He asked himself before his line of thoughts was snapped when the warmth on his lips disappeared.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Vali was no longer beside him and was now half way towards the door.

His eyes continued to follow Vali while his mind tried to make sense of what transpired just now.

He had sighed before he fell on his back once again, his eyes closed as his mind worked extra.

 _'This is going to be a long night...'_ Issei thought to himself as he realized that sleep wouldn't be something he will get today, not after what happened.

He stayed on the ground of the training field for a long time before he got up and went to his room where he would continue his train of thoughts.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!_**


	14. The Grail

_**AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the fourteenth chapter of "Switching Sides."**_

 _ **Sorry for the long time it has taken me to publish this chapter; I had an unpleasant struggle to write this chapter due to the way I wanted things to go.**_

 _ **Now, I am sure that a lot of you will probably not be happy with how the chapter went but be assured that I'll explain everything in the ending AN's so be sure to read these before reviewing so you could have the whole picture.**_

 _ **Also, keep in mind that a certain character here will be OOC but not by much, and it will not have a big impact on the story other than explaining some things that are important to the story's plot.**_

 _ **I am also happy to announce that I am currently working on a Bleach story! There's still quite some time before I'll publish it but I can already say a few details on it, but I won't spoil anything before I have everything planned out exactly like I want it too.**_

 _ **Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

A week has passed since Issei and Ddraig had their talk with Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon, and the brunettes talk with Vali later that same day.

Right now the brunette was training like he has trained for every day for the past week.

He would wake up when the sun was just showing its first signs of appearance on the horizon. He would then get dressed and grab some food at the HQ's cafeteria before heading to the training grounds where he would start his training.

Of course, Issei was not alone during this training. Ddraig would accompany him and would advise him on things to do and improve which Issei would be grateful for if it wasn't for the fact that the Dragon within his Longinus was a complete maniac when it came to training, something Issei was partly surprised from.

While Issei wanted to take it slow and do it at his own pace, Ddraig continued to push him beyond his limits and to the point where his body threaten to shut down if he would continue to increase the strain on it.

The plan the training maniac Ddraig improvised for Issei was that up until noon Issei would perform physical training and afternoon the boy would go to sleep and will be forced into his subconscious where Ddraig awaited him with training for his Dragon abilities and the abilities of the Boosted Gear.

For hours Ddraig would chase his host in his subconscious while launching attacks on him; both physical and magical alike as the brunette continued to dodge cowardly, but that changed when in one of his training sessions while evading yet another incoming attack a thought ran through his mind.

 _'How will I be able to protect them if I continue to stay weak?'_ The brunette thought while flashbacks of his fight with Rias and his old peerage surfaced to his mind. How he got taken out in a moment of weakness that originated from the uneasiness of his heart.

Another one of these flashbacks that ran through his mind was something that happened more recently; his fight with Cao Cao.

For days the young emperor was deep in thought about how he was seconds from death's door and for the simple fact that if it weren't for his bond with Ddraig that triggered that life-saving ability in the last second. How he would've been nothing but a remnant of the past, engraved in the minds of his friends and comrades.

Upon thinking about this Issei ceased his flee from the mighty, red Dragon that pursued him, turned around and for the first time since his training began two days prior he summoned his Longinus and started to attack Ddraig back, which, as the days went would turn into a full-on fight between the two that would prove to be helpful for the brunette's training.

But this was the least of the troubles the brunette had to deal with during this week.

One of the other problems was the talk Vali had with him and the kiss she gave him, a kiss that showed him a rare peek at the many emotions that swirled vigorously within his seemingly emotionless silver-haired rival.

Never in his life has he felt the same amount of both affection and intense passion he felt from his kiss with Vali. Sure, his kiss with Yasaka had a great deal of both, but with Vali's her emotions were different. It was as if they were bottled up for a long time, waiting to finally be released.

He found himself dumbfounded as to what's going on through Vali's mind after the kiss they shared, a kiss he equally returned with as much passion and affection as the one who initiated it. So the day after Vali showed up at the training ground merely minutes after his arrival; surprising Issei who knew Vali wasn't a morning person.

He remembered the talk they shared with each other that day; how much joy her voice contained, how much love her eyes held when they met his own eyes.

But, the sweet memories of that day did not live for long because he then remembered what happened when Vali left the training ground; when they finished talking she gave him a kiss which he returned and told him she loved him, waiting for him to say it back... Only he never did. He remembered the frown that adorned her face, the despair in her eyes before she quickly vanquished any trace with a smile Issei knew was fake.

He wanted to tell her how he felt about her; he wanted to so badly, but, he couldn't do it.

 _'What if it'll happen again?'_ This was the question he kept asking himself as images of Rias and his old peerage as well as Raynare kept popping up in his mind, but not the happy moments. No, the images that kept popping were images of the times he wished to erase from his mind.

 ** _['Partner, we should start with the magical training now,']_** Ddraig's voice snapped Issei's train of thoughts and managed to distract him from the thoughts that plagued his mind before he sighed in exasperation and dived into his subconscious where his partner awaited him.

* * *

 _"_ Phew that was a close one'" Issei said between panting as he managed to dodge one of Ddraig attacks barely.

 ** _['You should focus more or else you'll be hit,']_** Ddraig warned his partner while inhaling a large amount of air before exhaling it as a stream of fire.

 _'I know, but there's a lot on my mind right now,'_ Issei told the Dragon as he jumped away from the attack's reach.

 ** _['Oh? It doesn't concern a certain silver-haired girl right?']_** Ddraig teased his partner with a smug grin; making a vein to pop on Issei's forehead while his cheeks went crimson red.

 _'S-Shut up you stupid Dragon!'_ Issei snarled back while glaring daggers at the now snickering Dragon who stood in front of him; a gentle blush gracing his face.

 ** _['Listen, partner. While I can't really provide any help, that will help to vanquish your fears and uncertainties I can tell you one thing. During my entire time being locked in the Boosted Gear, I never saw both my possessor and Albion's possessor having feelings other than unadulterated hatred towards each other, but not anymore. You and Vali are the first possessors who wield intense feelings towards each other that do not have even a trace of hatred towards each other in them, But don't think that the path of hatred our past possessors took couldn't be repeated even now because hatred always finds a way to a person's heart']_ ** Ddraig told his partner with no emotions which only showed Issei how serious he was.

 _'W-What do you mean?'_ Issei asked after nervously gulping.

 ** _['Sorry partner, but you'll have to figure this out on your own']_** The Dragon replied with a smirk.

Issei could only flash Ddraig a weak smile before resuming their fight, but the fight did not last for long before Ddraig said something that made Issei freeze in his tracks.

 ** _['Oh, speak of the devil. You should wake up now partner']_** He said much to Issei's chagrin.

* * *

"Issei?" The brunette woke up to the enthusiastic yet tender voice of his teammate calling to him.

"Vali? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice not matching the enthusiasm she had upon seeing him; making her flinch slightly before composing herself fast enough so Issei wouldn't notice.

"W-Well... Cao Cao wanted to meet with us," Vali nervously stuttered as she was caught off-guard from the brunette's sudden coldness towards her.

"What does he want?" Issei asked in irritation caused by thinking of the raven haired man, something Vali did not know.

"I-I don't know, but we should go," She said with a grimace; thinking the irritation in Issei's voice was aimed at her and not Cao Cao.

The brunette did not respond and instead just followed Vali to the main hall of the Hero Faction.

* * *

The walk to the main hall of the HQ wasn't long, but for Issei, it felt like it took forever.

During the walk, he and Vali haven't spoken even a single word to each other which made the brunette nervous as to why exactly the usually talkative Vali would stay quiet during this walk.

He came to a conclusion that the silver-haired girl may be upset, but didn't know for sure about what.

Sure, he wasn't dumb, he knew the reason for Vali being upset; how he failed to return her affection, how he did not match her joy and enthusiasm in seeing her as she expressed in seeing him, but he didn't want to believe it, he didn't want to believe that he was the source for it.

He found himself gazing at Vali's back every other second to see how she was doing, wondering what was going through her head while apologizing internally for the pain he must've caused her. That was until they reached the doors to the main hall.

* * *

Vali for her part was deep in thoughts about the brunette that was walking behind her.

 _'Why is he acting like this?'_ She continued to ponder with each passing step she took towards the main hall.

When she returned to her room after their kiss she spent the entire night staring at the ceiling of her dim room while processing what happened, and when she did a huge grin appeared on her face.

She thought about what the aftermath of the kiss would be, how they would most likely be in the relationship she longed for, how she will be able to stand by his side in moments of need, and how the feud between the mighty dragons will finally have its happy ending.

But, none of those thoughts came to fruition because the next day she was met with a stoic Issei who didn't look as overjoyed as she was, not even close.

But, she didn't mind that. The thing that made her heart to clench was when he didn't say that he loved her after she told him.

When she returned to her room that day, while the tears kept cascading down her cheeks, she thought back on the kiss. How he reciprocated the emotions and passion she expressed in it and why, if he returned it in the kiss why wouldn't he return it now?

 _'Maybe he was caught up in the heat of the moment?'_ The mere thought of this made her clenched heart to slightly crack with each time it passed by in her mind as sorrow began to slowly fill her core.

 _'No, that's probably not it. Issei's not like that, it's gotta be something else,'_ Vali would always instantly reassure herself when that sorrowful thought popped into her mind. Not because she wanted to soothe herself regardless of how farfetched the thoughts may be. No, she reassured herself because she knew for sure that it's not how Issei is. After all, he is her arch-rival who she knew for quite a long time now.

When she saw the door to the main hall, she came to a decision that as hurtful as it might be, it was necessary.

 _'I wouldn't force myself on Issei; I want him to genuinely reciprocate my feelings, so, for now, I'll act like I did before the kiss until I can figure out what's causing him to suppress his emotions, and then I'll be able to help him so we could overcome this and finally get our happy ending,'_ A grin adorned her face as she made her resolve.

Upon reaching the doors to the main hall, all stopped in her tracks with her hand on the decorated handle of the door while turning her head to look at Issei.

"I don't know why are you acting like this towards me Issei, but I swear I'll find out why and I'll help you deal with it so we can both finally be happy, that's a promise!" She said with an extreme determination which caused her fellow emperor to look at her with wide eyes as a frown adorned his face when he was reminded of his cold behavior before switching to a grin when he heard Vali's promise.

"T-Thank you, Vali," His whispered gratitude to the silver-haired in front of him failed to reach her ears, or so he thought.

* * *

Upon entering the room Issei and Vali were met with the sight of their team, and Cao Cao was patiently waiting for their arrival which caused both Emperors to cock an eyebrow in surprise when they thought about how Kuroka managed to stay patient.

"Ah! I see that we're all here now," Cao Cao said upon setting his gaze on the new arrivals; a smirk adorning his face.

"Yeah Yeah, what did you want Cao Cao?" Issei impatiently asked as he went to stand beside his team; causing Cao Cao to frown in response to the rude comment his subordinate made.

But the rudeness Issei and his team showed to Cao Cao was nothing new.

Ever since they brought Yasaka and Kunou to live with them in the Hero Faction's HQ and the fight it triggered between Issei and Cao Cao something changed. Cao Cao became much more strict with his subordinates to the point where he threatened to kill someone who was late to one of their gathering.

Due to how Issei and his team defied Cao Cao's wish and how the latter surrendered in his fight with the Dragon of Domination the rest of the Hero Faction got a newfound confidence and in return were not afraid to mess up from time to time. But, all things has to come to an end, and the newfound confidence the members of the Hero Faction received was one of these things because mere days after Cao Cao has changed.

It looked to all of them that he was not happy with how the Hero Faction was doing right now, not even one bit.

They would occasionally hear Cao Cao voicing his dissatisfaction with the members by saying stuff like how useless they were, and how things turned this way.

"Ok then, now that you're all here I wish to discuss something about you," Cao Cao said after suppressing his irritation.

"What is it?" Vali asked with a lack of interest, but that was soon changed with the next thing Cao Cao said.

"The Holy Grail," Issei and his team widened their eyes in shock upon the mention of the famous Grail.

* * *

"T-The Holy Grail?!" Vali asked in bewilderment, her voice hoarse.

"Yes, the Holy Grail, or in its proper name Sephiroth Graal" Cao Cao repeated nonchalantly.

"Why do you need it?" Vali asked, still in shock but seemingly much calmer.

"That is none of your concern. The only thing you will be told is the grail's presumed location,"

Vali glared at Cao Cao while mumbling words under her breath, those who did managed to hear her mumbles were surprised to see the wide variety of swears Vali had at her disposal.

"As I was saying. From what our intel has gathered the Sephiroth Graal is being possessed by a Dhampir girl who lives in Romania," Cao Cao told them to which he was answered with the same eyes the people in front of him had when he told them of the item he sought.

"I see. So, what else can you tell us about the possessor?" Vali asked as her patience with the wielder of the True Longinus has started to reach its end.

"The girl goes by the name of Valerie Tepes, and she is the leader of her clan which used to be a male-dominated" Issei's eyes widened upon hearing the name of the Sephiroth Graal's possessor.

His mind immediately took him to a talk he had with Gasper back at the ORC Club room while the rest were out on various tasks.

* * *

 ** _(Flashback)_**

Issei and Gasper sat at the ORC, each occupied in his own thing as they waited for the rest of their peerage to return from the various tasks they had.

Rias and Akeno were at a meeting with Sona and Tsubaki which Issei knew had something to do with the overall situation of Kuoh.

Kiba, Koneko, and Rossweise were doing their devil duties which made Issei snicker upon remembering what they told him about their clients.

How Kiba was forced to babysit an annoying teenager girl who constantly fawned on the pretty blonde; much to the Knight's annoyance.

How Koneko was asked to become someone's fitness coach who proved to be exhausting to the stoic girl due to the lack of sweets.

And last of all, how Rossweise was asked to pretend to be someone's date. While the request itself wasn't what made the Valkerye annoyed, the guy who asked her was or to be more exact his pestering and creepy behavior.

The church trio was roaming the streets of Kuoh as they talked about the thing they found most interesting; religious.

Issei, who was focused on the dirty magazine Azazel borrowed him, turned his gaze to the card box on the floor when he heard sobbing originating from there.

"Gasper? Are you ok?" Issei asked the crossdresser in worry as he placed the magazine on the table and started to make his way to the box only to stop half-way upon hearing Gasper's pleas not to come.

"P-Please don't come!" His voice was cracking as he stuttered hard.

"Ok, but can you please tell me what's wrong?" Issei asked tenderly while returning to his seat.

"I-It's today," Gasper said between his sobs; making Issei to frown.

He knew what the Bishop meant, and it made him pity the little boy who had to suffer so much during his previous life. He remembered the first time Rias vaguely told him of Gasper's backstory as to warn him when he approached the former Dhampir.

"I see. Do you want to talk about it?" He gently asked so Gasper would be at ease and not panic like he usually would.

"Y-Yes Please," He stuttered, but Issei could tell by his voice that the boy has begun to calm down; making him smile.

"Back when I grew up I lived alone while being abused by my father and his servants..." He started with a newfound courage; something that greatly surprised the brunette.

"I found myself cursing two moments in my short life, the moment I was born and the moment my mother was killed because of me as the servants always told me. I wanted to escape, to finally live normally, to find friends and family who will not abuse me. That's when I met Valerie, a girl from the Tepes clan which was a male-dominated one. We used to play at the castle all the time, and she would force me to dress like a girl, but I didn't mind because I had finally found a friend. One day I worked the courage to try and escape the castle with Valerie's help, and so I did, but I was killed shortly by one of the vampire hunters. That was when Buchou found me by luck and reincarnated me before taking me with her to live a new life. I never got to see Valerie again, but I hope that I will so I can thank her for helping me to escape, I just hope she's ok," Gasper explained in sadness.

"Gasper... I-I'm so sorry, but everything's ok now; you have us to worry about you," Issei said in disbelief and pity for the boy who suffered so much for no apparent reason.

"Thank you," Gasper gratefully told his sempai before coming out of his box and coming to sit next to Issei and leaning on him while playing his video game.

 ** _(Flashback End)_**

* * *

Cao Cao saw the look of horror, and shock Issei held in his eyes upon the mention of Valerie, and he immediately realized that this girl was someone Issei knew which was something he didn't like at all.

"I do wish to remind all of you that this is your last chance and I would not tolerate another defilement of my orders. If you were to fail in capturing the girl or you would avoid capturing her on purpose like last time I would make sure you will suffer the consequences, and trust me, that's something you would want to avoid at any cost," He warned as he narrowed his gaze specifically at the unsuspecting brunette, who was still in shock from learning the name of their target, before reverting his gaze to the rest of the team who gulped in response

"R-Roger that," Vali said nervously; not wanting to tick off the already upset leader so she and her team wouldn't have to suffer from his pent up anger.

"What are you waiting for? Go back to your rooms to prepare for the mission before returning here in fifteen minutes," Issei recovered from his shock just in time to hear Cao Cao's command before leaving the hall with his team shortly after without speaking another word.

* * *

 _ **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Please don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!**_

 _ **Now, I know some of you might be upset with the way I made Issei and Vali's relationship evolve, but be sure that I have this all planned out and I'm sure you'll be happy with the result.**_

 _ **I know a lot of you wanted the kiss between Issei and Vali to end with them getting together, but sadly, that's not how life works, and both Issei and Vali will have a lot to go through before they will get their happy ending.**_

 _ **As I keep reminding in the chapters: Issei's state both emotionally and mentally wise is still not stable as he keep struggling to recover from what Rias and his peerage, as well as Raynare, has done to him, but he changed from how he was at the beginning of the story, and he'll continue to change greatly as the story progress.**_

 ** _Do keep in mind that as I said above, I had every single thing planned out and executed like I wish it to be so things are being done for a purpose so please remember that :)_**

 _ **I could've easily made them get together in this chapter and cut the story short, but that goes against everything I have planned and my will for this story, so I didn't do that.**_

 _ **As someone who has been and still is a reader one thing I always find saddening is when you read a story, and you get really into it only for it to end quickly which only makes you sad from seeing the story, you got into it so much end, just like a TV series or anything else. So, I made sure to make this story as long as I can so people would continue to enjoy the story as much as possible.**_

 ** _Ok, that's all for now. I hope you understand my reasoning behind my decision regarding Issei and Vali's relationship and respect it._**


	15. Valerie

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the fifteenth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who has Followed, Favorited, and Reviewed! You guys are the best!_**

 ** _This chapter will shed some light on a few things some of the readers has found confusing as well as hints about future events in the story so if you're observant enough you could guess who will make an appearance soon and such._**

 ** _This chapter will not have a heavy focus on Issei and Vali's emotional state or their relationship like the previous chapter, but it will have some development for Vali._**

 ** _Also, I am very happy to let you know that the first Bleach story (I have two in plans) I am planning to publish is really close to getting the first chapter released so if you're a fan of Bleach look forward to seeing it in the next few days! The only thing I'll tell you is that the pairing in this story will be quite unusual._**

 ** _I also have something I want to explain to you regarding the end of the chapter, but it applies to future events in the story as well so make sure to read it so you could get a better_ _grasp/understanding_ _on it._**

 ** _Now, without further ado. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

When Issei and his team came back around fifteen minutes later, they were met with the sight of Cao Cao, who seemed not to be moving much during his wait, and Jeanne who had a scowl on her face upon meeting her gaze with Issei and his team.

They didn't have much to prepare for the mission, so they took this time to go and say goodbye to Kunou who was alone due to her mother making another one of her occasional visits in Kyoto to maintain the peace there as well as to not severe Kyoto's leyline.

"Sir, what are... They doing here?" Jeanne maliciously asked as her eyes radiated anger mainly at Issei and Vali who seemed to be unfazed by it.

"Relax Jeanne. I have assigned them to the Holy Grail mission," Cao Cao told his subordinate; making her frown before looking at Cao Cao in a disapproving look.

"With all due respect sir, I think these personals are very unfitting for a mission which importance is very high," Jeanne told Cao Cao her opinion in hopes that the raven-haired leader will hear her advice.

But it seems that luck wasn't on her side because unlike she expected, instead of agreeing with her Cao Cao has tightened the grip he had on his spear while he glared at Jeanne.

"Jeanne. Do you know what is the difference between you and me?" His tone made Jeanne flinch due to the suppressed anger that managed to slip through and made itself known in his voice.

"N-No, sir. Would you please tell me?" Jeanne nervously gulped before she struggled to voice her answer.

"Well, as far as I recall I am the leader of the Hero Faction thus I make the decisions here. I don't need a member like you to doubt my decisions," He explanation caused Jeanne to pale as she understood the mistake she did.

"I'm very sorry sir! Please find it to forgive me!" She brought a barrage of apologies in fear of getting a piece of her leader's infamous wrath, not caring about humiliating herself in the process.

She wasn't the only one. Ever since Cao Cao's change in demeanor after the Yasaka incident it seemed like the rest of the Hero Faction was going on eggshells when they were around their leader.

They couldn't tell what would set him off and at this time they were too afraid to find out or else it will be the last thing they'll manage to do before being impaled by his spear.

But walking on eggshells around him didn't mean that people haven't made mistakes around him because they did.

Before they knew it, the frightened members of the Hero Faction have found themselves splurting out apologies with no fear of getting their respect diminished. No, in these moments their fear was focused on something much bigger, it was focused on their lives.

And much to their luck, it seemed to work because midway towards their fit of apologies Cao Cao would always react the same; he'll scoff and say that he do not wish to kill a weakling before going off to whoever knows where.

Jeanne never believed in this "method" her fellow members used mostly because she never had a chance to upset her dear Cao Cao. But when she found herself being the one who angered him then she saw no reason for not trying this method out, and this decision probably provided her with the chance to live another day.

But while Jeanne was struck with immense fright and Cao Cao was possessed by pure anger Issei and his team were the opposite.

They had a tough time to contain their laughter at the scene that unfolded before them, even the stoic Arthur had a very hard time to cover the snickers that escaped him, and their laugh only intensified when they saw the glare Jeanne had sent their way.

"Enough!" Cao Cao bellowed, making everyone to stop and looking at him.

"I believe I made my point so Issei and Vali, please take your time and go to retrieve the grail as I asked," He commanded the team who nodded before bolting out of the room to avoid spending more time than necessary with their leader, who they weren't fond of.

* * *

When Issei and his team has left the room, Jeanne quickly reverted her gaze from the closed doors back towards Cao Cao, who still had his gaze narrowed at her.

"Jeanne, the reason I called you here was to give you a mission of your own," Jeanne's interest rose upon hearing this.

"Sure, sir! What is the mission?" She asked with unhidden excitement, hoping that the mission was good.

"Your mission is to follow Issei and his team without them noticing you. Make sure they are not to repeat the same mistake they did with the Fox Youkai,"

"Y-Yes sir!" She spent no time thinking about it and quickly voiced her approval vigorously.

"I wasn't finished... In the case that Issei and his team does repeat the same mistake, you are to retrieve the Grail by yourself by any means necessary. Am I clear?"

Jeanne only nodded before leaving the room so she could go and get ready for the mission when she got Cao Cao's dismissal.

* * *

It didn't take long for Issei and his team to reach Romania and since it was early noon they didn't see the point in renting a room in a local inn.

So, after arriving at Romania, they quickly started their trek towards the location where the Tepes clan should reside in.

The walk to the Tepes residence wasn't long to which they were grateful for, but the road was.

It was such a mess; intersections were everywhere and foliage constantly blocking their path. Even the ground has been sodden, and it only brought for more frustration for the team.

But, after nearly twenty minutes of suffering, they had finally arrived at the residence place of the Tepes clan and widened their eyes when they saw it.

The place reminiscent the medieval period; the buildings were a combination of wattle and daub huts and stone villas.

They didn't need to think much to guess which person lived in what house and they clearly understood that the quality of its citizens was not something the Tepes clan excelled at.

They also didn't need to spend much time in thinking where Valerie, the leader of the Tepes clan, would be when they saw the castle that looked to be standing proud above the simple buildings of the ordinary citizens.

As they made their way to the glorious white castle, they noticed the many stares the residents has given them.

They saw hate, confusion, desperation, and even envy in the stares they received and it made them realize that life in the Tepes clan is not something anyone would be jealous at.

"State your purpose!" A guard demanded from the new strangers that now stood in front of the castle entrance.

"We seek to have an audience with your leader," Arthur took the liberty of speaking with the guards, hoping that the nobility he radiated won't be missed by the guards.

"May I ask what is the purpose behind your intentions to have an audience with Mrs. Valerie?" One of the guards asked in suspicious as he examined the people in front of him.

He knew that they weren't for here, and he also knew that these weren't ordinary humans; each of them possessed a unique energy of his own.

The combinations of different auras made it difficult for the guards to determine from which faction they came from and the intentions they had.

"We seek to talk to her about the valuable information we have, information that only she is allowed to see," Arthur said with a voice void of any emotions.

The guards thought about it for a few seconds and upon coming to a decision they nodded at the new arrivals and permitted them access to the castle; causing Issei and his team to be quite surprised from the lax security the castle had.

"I can't believe we actually made it through," Bikou said as he snickered at the dumb guards who let them pass so easily.

"Yeah, I actually can't believe it myself, to be honest," Vali replied with more disbelief than mockery.

"It seems that her room is right ahead," Arthur said while fixing his glasses after spotting what seemed to be the room of their target.

"Ok, let's try to do this as quietly as we can," Issei told his team who equally nodded in agreement.

*knock knock*

"Come in!" Issei and his team flinched upon hearing the voice from the other side of the door.

It was so... Hollow, like the person on the other side, was nothing more than an empty shell with human skin on it. It made them fear what they'll find on the other side of the door.

They knew that this is the room of Valerie Tepes, the possessor of the Holy Grail and the object of their mission. But when they heard this voice they weren't sure if they were standing at the door to the right room.

No one could sound so... emotionless. Even those whose been broken beyond repair have some hint of anguish, despair, or even desperation in their voice. But this voice had none, like the owner of it has been stripped of any known emotion.

They opened the door slowly, using this time to prepare themselves for the sight they'll behold upon fully opening it.

When they completely opened the door, they all gasped in astonishment.

A beautiful blonde girl with crimson eyes sat on her bed; she looked to be a tad older than the brunette emperor.

Her looked solidified her title as a Dhampir; it had elements from both human and vampire alike which only proved to contribute to her beauty.

So how... how can a girl like her sound so Hollow? It just didn't make sense to Issei and his team.

"M-Mrs. Valerie?" Issei's whispered tenderly as not to startle the blonde.

"Y-Yes? Who are you?" She asked, her voice retaining its Hollowness.

Nothing, not even a hint of alarm from seeing strangers, no curiosity for their intentions. Nothing, just the same empty voice they heard moments before.

"Well, my name is Vali, this is Issei, Arthur, Le Fay, and Kuroka. We came to talk to you," Vali introduced them as she pointed at each of her comrades respectively.

"Nice to meet you. So, what is it that you want to talk to me about?"

"W-Well, we came to know of your Longinus, and we wanted to ask if you can tell us about it," Vali asked, hoping that the girl won't get suspicious of their intentions.

"Ah, I see. Well, I don't mind telling you about it but why do you want to know?" Valerie question caught the team off-guard; making them nervous as they tried to think of what to answer.

"W-Well... I guess I can't lie to you..." Vali said, seeing no other option than just telling the poor girl about their intentions.

Seeing how emotionless the Tepes leader was made Vali pity her. And she couldn't explain it but seeing her like that made her want to protect the girl like a mother protected her child from all the cruelty the world possess.

But not only pity brought for this weird feeling within Vali. She wanted to make sure that she'll be able to protect the girl from any harm, she wanted to be there for her because she knew how it was like to survive through all the malice in the world by yourself; she experienced it first-handed during her childhood, but she'll never tell it to anyone from her team. She didn't need pity, especially from the one she loved.

"We are a part of an organization called "The Hero Faction." Our mission was to capture you because of your Longinus... But we're not going to do this," Vali spoke with disdain of the very idea of capturing Valerie; her team shocked from what their comrade has said.

"Vali! I understand what you think, we all are, but we can't allow ourselves to mess up again," Issei told Vali in bewilderment.

"I know Issei, but I just can't bring myself to bring any harm to her," Vali replied with determination.

*sigh*

"I hope you know what you're doing because the consequences for that will be severe," Issei told Vali as he relented his efforts to convince the girl against her decision; he knew Vali well enough to know that once she decides something, she won't waver even for a second.

"I see," Was the only reaction Valerie has given to Vali's words.

"Why are you so emotionless Valerie? A girl's your age should be full of life, but you look like you've been broken," Vali asked Valerie in brute honesty, not bothering to be polite.

"My Longinus. I overused it, and it made me like this," Valerie's brief explanation caused the entire team to gasp in shock.

"Y-Your Longinus caused this?! I didn't know a Longinus could bring to such a severe effect on its possessor," Vali said in astonishment as she gazed at the blonde Dhampir in sorrow before rushing at her to envelop her in a tight embrace.

"Is there any way to reverse the effect?" Vali asked while maintaining her embrace of Valerie.

"Yes,"

"So tell us and we'll do everything we can to help you!" Vali told Valerie as she ended the embrace and looked intently into the crimson eyes of Valerie while maintaining a tight grasp on her shoulder with a voice that showed both the blonde Dhampir and her team that there wasn't any place for arguments.

"Ok," Valerie reply caused Vali to widen her eyes but not because of the answer, but from what appeared to be faint happiness that the girl radiated.

The leader of the Tepes clan then told Vali and her team how for her to recover from the effects of the Sephiroth Grail she needed to have the original Holy Grail. But even then, she couldn't exactly tell them if the recovery will be complete or not, but every sort of recovery make it half or whole was good progress for the girl.

She then told them that she knows nothing of the Grail's location and for all, she knows it might be lying at the bottom of the sea.

Sure, this news made Vali a bit scared, but even if it required to dive to the bottom of the sea she would do it for this girl. She didn't want her to have the same life as her, and she would do anything to ensure that.

"Valerie, do you wish to remain here in the castle or do you want to come with us back so we could always keep an eye on you?" Vali asked the girl in a tender voice, hoping that she will agree so she could remain by her side.

Valerie timidly nodded as Vali flashed her a smile.

"Vali, you do remember what Cao Cao said right?" Arthur asked the silver-haired emperor.

"Yes, but screw Cao Cao! I won't let her be in harm's way," Vali retorted, her voice devoid of any fear of the "severe consequences" Cao Cao has mentioned that this action will bring.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow this to happen Vali," A new presence made itself known in the room; making Issei and the rest to gasp.

"Jeanne! What are you doing here?" Issei demanded to know while he and the rest assumed their battle stances.

"Cao Cao has issued me a mission to follow you in case you'll attempt to do the same thing you did with that Youkai girl. I guess he was right in giving me this mission because it appears that you cannot be trusted at all!" Jeanne bellowed in contempt toward her fellow members while she glared at them.

"I'm here to accomplish what you failed to do. I am going to capture this girl and bring her to Cao Cao!" Jeanne said as she readied her rapier before lunging at Vali shortly after.

* * *

Fighting against a sword was Vali's weakness.

She had no sword of herself, and even her Longinus couldn't help to protect her due to its form. So when Jeanne lunged at her she didn't know what to do; she had no time to activate her Scale Mail nor could she use any magic to block it in time and her fists were useless.

Against any ordinary sworded opponent Vali would manage to easily win against him, but against Jeanne, she couldn't; the girl was known as a prodigy when it came to rapiers.

She moved so gracefully, so flawlessly that for a second the silver-haired has thought that it wasn't a human who stood in front of her, rather a well-oiled machine.

But when Jeanne was mere centimeters from her she was alarmed. Not by the short distance, the girl had from her, rather from the sound of metal clanging.

She blinked and to her surprise she saw Issei standing in front of her with his Gauntlet released as he used it to deflect Jeanne's rapier.

"Issei..."

"Pff Vali, I thought you were better than this," Issei scoffed while flashing her a smug smile.

"Don't think you're better just because you saved me Hyoudou, I can still kick your ass if I want too," Vali rebutted; her hands crossed beneath her chest as she huffed in exasperation while turning her sight away from the brunette.

Jeanne jumped back so she could regain her grounds before dashing at the brunette again.

But for her dismay, Issei was no fool when it came to fighting with his hands.

He managed to grab her rapier most of the times she came at him and used the other hand to deliver either a punch to her face, her stomach as well as using kicks aimed at her abdomen.

"Y-You bastard!" Jeanne loathingly bellowed as she glared at the smug brunette in front of her.

While Issei obviously had the upper hand in this fight, it didn't mean that he didn't get few cuts from his opponent as well; his clothes were ripped in some spots, and his hands had shallow cuts on them in various places.

"I guess that whoever called you a prodigy didn't see you fight," Issei teased, hoping to provoke Jeanne enough for her to make a fatal mistake that will bring to his victory.

Jeanne just lets out a loud battle cry before rushing at Issei once again.

But like the times before it, her rapier has been blocked again.

While the both of them struggled for the upper hand in this clash, none of them saw the door being opened and the new arrivals that entered the room.

But they managed to hear the surprised gasps that resounded through the room; causing them to end their struggle and look at the source of the gasps before gasping on their own when they saw who stood there.

"Damn," Issei cursed under his breath as he looked at the source of all his recent sorrow; the Gremory peerage.

* * *

 ** _AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!_**

 ** _Now, for what I wanted to explain. Some of you may think that this chapter may be a tad repetitive when compared to the Yasaka arc, but this explanation here is to show you why it's not._**

 ** _Issei and the ORC will meet each other few times during the story but each time there will be a different emotion that will fuel Issei._**

 ** _For example, The emotion Issei has experienced when he saw them during their mission to retrieve Yasaka was anger, but in the next_** chapter ** _it will be a different emotion._**

 ** _And the reactions of the ORC will also diverse with each different time they meet with each other._**

 ** _This goes to show how Issei is progressing in his recovery from what happened to him. Like I said, I always have a purpose for whatever I write so worry not :)_**


	16. Source Of Sorrow

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the sixteenth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! You guys are the best! :)_**

 ** _I want to warn that there might be some slight OOCness in this chapter so be aware!_**

 ** _I hope that everyone will like the chapter and hopefully, you'll enjoy it like I enjoyed writing it!_**

 ** _The story still has between 5-6 arcs both small and big in size before the story will end so you can expect many things to come!_**

 ** _Also, this chapter is going to finally justify the reasoning behind the M rating of the story so be warned of that! I'll mark the M-Rated part which is also sexual with "**" at the beginning until the next line break where it'll end so those who are not interested in reading sexual interactions would be able to avoid it although I highly recommend that you don't skip it._**

 ** _Now, without further ado, here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

As Issei looked at the people, who used to be his friends and their expressions that held so many emotions behind them he sighed.

 _'Damn it!'_ He angrily spat in his mind as he tightly clenched his fist on the outside as he cursed whoever it was that loved making his life messier than they already are.

He already knew that his old peerage has a lot to say to him, but they knew that now wasn't the right time; they'll wait after the fight between him and Jeanne will end.

When he thought of the reason behind the silence that his old peerage has maintained he realized that indeed he was engaged in a fight with Jeanne, if you could call it one.

He didn't know if it was the increase in his strength or the lack of strength his opponent held, but the fight he was engaged in right now was one of the easiest he ever fought in, and it made him snicker.

When he saw Jeanne's wrath, he was sure that a good battle has awaited whoever dared to challenge her. How wrong he was.

The so-called prodigy of the Hero Faction had yet to live up to her title, and Issei was sure that it would continue to stay so as the fight continues; her movements were ungraceful, her speed was rapidly decreasing, and her attempts at dodging were sloppy.

But to her defense, she did manage to land a couple of hits on him when he was careless.

As he dodged yet another attack from Jeanne, he allowed himself to have a quick glance at his team to see their reactions and the brunette emperor wasn't disappointed with what he saw.

They were all smirking; some even bit their lips as they strived to contain their laugh at the fight that ensued. They knew of their teammate's strength well enough, but they didn't get to see the full strength of Jeanne and now that they had a chance to see the merciless, enraged Jeanne who was sure to go all out they were deeply dissatisfied.

"What happened Jeanne? Your feelings got the best of you?" Issei smugly taunted as he flashed her a smirk.

"Screw you Issei!" Jeanne spat with a voice full of malice as her grip on her rapier has been tightened before she rushed in his direction with a fierce battle cry again.

* * *

 _'This is getting ridiculous.'_ Issei thought to himself as he held his now bleeding left arm.

After Jeanne had come speeding at him, she managed to get a nasty slash on his left hand after deceiving him.

She rushed at him with her rapier aimed straight for his abdomen, but when he elevated his left arm to shield himself from the incoming slash with his gauntlet, she skidded left and slashed him across his arm and causing him to hiss in pain as he instantly clutched his arm.

"That was a good one Jeanne, but I need to end this now!" He gave her the credit she had deserved before his voice turned to one of pure determination.

"You're right; I am going to end this myself, so I can go after the rest of you traitorous bunch! Especially that bitch Vali!" She roared back in spite as she glared daggers at Issei before giving the same glare to his team, especially Vali who winced from both the remark and the glare.

If any of his teammates could have seen Issei's face after Jeanne's comment, they could've sworn that his eyes had momentarily flickered emerald green before reverting to their original brown color.

All the while his fists clenched so tightly until they looked to be as white as snow while trickles of red could be seen peeking from where his nails had dug into.

When he heard Jeanne's words, he tensed up while his swirling anger had finally found the target it longed for.

Issei could be called a self-centered, arrogant, and ignorant, but when it concerned his friends he was none of that; he was kind, and his resolution to defend them was unwavering.

But his resolve to protect his friends was beyond just physical harm.

So when he heard Jeanne had threatened his comrades, who he cherished for the things they've done for him, and the thing she said about Vali; it made his blood boil.

Vali wasn't just an ordinary friend for him like Bikou and Arthur were; she was beyond that, and his protectiveness of her stretched far further, and it would be a cold day in hell when he lets Jeanne stay unharmed after this.

* * *

The silence that lingered at the room after Jeanne had finished speaking was still present.

Everyone waited with baited breath for Issei to make some sort of reaction but they frowned when they saw him glued to his place with his mouth shut and his fists clenched tightly.

Meanwhile, Jeanne has continued to adorn a triumphant expression on her face as she as well waited for the brunette to do something.

But when something did happen none of them had expected for it to come in the form of a crushing aura.

It was so... Intense, so full of emotions.

For the first time in their lives, all of the occupants of the room finally understood what true domination felt like.

Most of them collapsed to their knees when they felt the domination in his aura, but all of them involuntarily flinched when they felt the hatred that was also present in his aura.

They all looked at Issei with awe in their eyes but also with a hint of respect for the frightful aura he released.

 ** _[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]_** They all heard the voice of Ddraig boom as Issei was clad in his scale mail.

They barely caught it, but those who did were amazed from the speed Issei used as he rushed at Jeanne and delivered a devastating punch to her stomach that sent her crashing into the wall behind her.

He waited for the dust to recede, and sure enough, it did shortly after; allowing him to get a good look at Jeanne's current condition.

She was harshly battered, and her clothes were ripped to the point that her breasts were on full display, her hair was messy while the majority of it had caught the dust and made a gray layer to appear.

Blood was steadily flowing from her back onto the floor while she was in a barely crouched position; gripping tightly the hand that held her rapier.

"It's over Jeanne! You should know when to give up," Issei told her with a voice void of any emotions that made his team and old peerage to scowl from the unfamiliarity of it.

But Issei couldn't deny the fact that her breasts looked magnificent. One side... His old, perverted side, told him just to storm her and play with her breasts, but his new side, the side that had manifested after what his old peerage and Raynare had done to him had tried to suppress these thoughts for focusing on the fight.

In the end, his new side had won the conflict, but it didn't stop the blood that had managed to drip from his nose.

Even though the voice had sounded exactly like the brunette none of his friends could ever associate it with him. His voice was cheerful, full of glee... This one was the opposite of that, and it made them grimace.

"Fuck you! I'll kill you and your fucking friends!" Jeanne venomously spat while maintaining the fierceness glare she ever gave anyone in her life.

If looks could kill then, Jeanne would have surely won everyone in the room, but sadly, looks can't kill, and right now Jeanne's condition didn't look too bright.

She lifted her hand and pointed her rapier at Issei before she lunged at him with the last remnants of her power; hoping that it would be enough.

But whatever she wished for it or not, deep down she already accepted that she had lost the battle, and now she awaited the sentence the boy clad in the red armor would give her.

Will he kill her and let her die in combat as a respected warrior? Or will he keep her alive so Cao Cao could finish the job once he got word of her failure? She didn't know, but she hoped for the first option to happen.

If there was one thing that a warrior wanted the most were to die an honorable death regardless of what he already achieved or didn't achieve in, life, and Jeanne was no different.

Despite her hate towards the brunette, she knew that he was a fearsome opponent even if he didn't realize it and died by the hands of a strong opponent like him would give her the respect she desired the most.

She stabbed his armor with her rapier and as she expected the mighty armor didn't budge, but her rapier did.

The sound of metal clashing with each other was briefly heard before a snapping noise had taken its place. They all looked for whatever it was that broke, and they widened their eyes when they saw what appeared to be a fragment of Jeanne's rapier flying through the air before landing back on the floor with a small thud.

Jeanne looked at her rapier with wide eyes and then at the body of her opponent before she sank to her knees with a look of utter defeat and hopelessness.

"I-I... Lost..." Her whisper went unnoticed by everyone except for Issei who stood close enough to hear it.

He looked down at the defeated form of Jeanne, and he started to feel pity for the girl, and it confused him to no end.

He was seething at her for what she said, and he wanted to kill her, but now... Now he just felt sorry for the girl.

Then he heard it... Like rain, he heard the sound of drops making contact with the floor and the sympathy he had for Jeanne had increased when he discerned that she was crying.

 _'I may not like her, but I will not kill her, not like this.'_ Issei wistfully thought to himself before he forced his Balance Breaker to fade; surprising everyone who expected him to deliver a finishing blow at the kneeling blonde.

She snapped her head upwards and looked at Issei with her teary eyes; trying to convey her thoughts to him.

 _'Please... Just end me, I don't deserve to live anymore!'_

He grimaced from the look Jeanne had given him, and at that moment his decision had solidified.

"I'll not kill you, Jeanne," He told her with a faint smirk that caused everyone to gasp in astonishment, especially Jeanne.

"W-Wha... Why?" She hesitantly asked in disbelief.

"Because I don't want to kill you, Jeanne, not when you're like this. So try to get stronger, and once you do we'll fight again,"

"Are you sure? You know this decision may cost you your life?" Despite the emotional turmoil she was currently at, Jeanne found it in herself to grin as she told that to Issei.

"Well, that's a risk I am willing to take," Issei assured her as he mimicked Jeanne's grin.

All the while Issei's team and old peerage watched this exchange with a bit of incredulity, thinking that this Issei was quite different than the usual one, but they couldn't blame him for changing like that after everything he had been through.

* * *

Shortly after Issei and Jeanne had finished their talk, he turned his gaze toward those he considered to be the source of his sorrow; his old peerage.

He slowly walked their way; his face blank as not to show anyone the emotional turbulence he was experiencing.

"Issei..." Rias voice made Issei flinch slightly.

It was just like he remembered it; So gentle, so tender, but at the same time it held so much sadness and regret.

And even if her voice had betrayed her true emotions then those eyes... The eyes that mesmerized him did not, he clearly saw the same emotions her voice held hiding behind those blue eyes of hers.

Rias spent no time waiting for his response and instead just ran at him so she could envelop him in a tight embrace.

Issei for his part was greatly shocked from Rias embrace, but so many emotions swirled through him the minute she made contact with him.

The warmness, the touch of her silky skin, the way her smooth hair had brushed his face, and the feeling of her breasts being pushed against his chest; he missed it so much.

They stood there in utter silence as Rias continued to hug Issei while the latter remained petrified in his place; not returning the embrace.

When Rias had ended the embrace shortly after, she tightly held his shoulders as to convince herself that this was real and that he would not disappear, not again.

She gazed at the same brown eyes she grew to love, and she felt her heart melting from the warmness that consumed it.

"Ise, I am so sorry! Please forgive me!" Rias begged with glassy eyes as the rest of her peerage had started to approach them slowly.

He watched in silence as Akeno, Asia, Irina, Koneko, Rossweise, Ravel, Kiba, and Gasper continued to get closer to him; each clearly showing the pain and remorse they felt at the moment.

He continued to stand petrified even after Rias had ceased her contact with the brunette and walked back to stand with her peerage.

"W...Why are you here?" Issei asked with anguish clearly evident in his voice.

His old peerage flinched from the pain that plagued his voice, but they quickly recovered.

"We came here to find Gasper's friend, Valerie," It was Akeno who answered his question with a sad smile adorning her face.

"Issei, please forgive us for what happened!" Akeno quickly appended, not giving Issei to chance even to reply.

Issei took this chance to stare intently at his old peerage, and for the first time since it all started, he felt unsure.

He didn't know what to do. He saw the honesty behind their remorse and sorrow, and it made him think that maybe he should forgive them.

After all, they meant so much to him; they were the ones who gave him a second chance in life, who became his dearest friends as their bond had slowly strengthened.

All the things they've been through as a team, as friends were still engraved in his memory.

He felt warmth when he thought about all this, but at the same time, he also felt a coldness that he had never felt before.

And then he remembered what had caused this coldness.

He remembered the pain Raynare caused him and how Rias and the rest promised to help him after that; a promise that ended up being nothing more than empty words meant to bring hope to his fragile heart.

The incident at Kyoto, the thing Rias said and the silent agreement the rest of his cherished friends held were the finishing blows that finally broke his heart.

He expected from his friends to stand up for him, to vigorously rebut the hurtful words Rias told him... But they didn't. Instead, they remained quiet, and it was this deafening silence, this silent agreement that made him realize that the dread he felt after Raynare wasn't a part of the trauma the Fallen-Angel had caused him. No, this was real. He finally understood that the fears he had were justified and not just a part of his insecurities.

Issei averted his gaze from his old peerage onto his team, and he saw the worry and fear they all felt.

Worry about their teammate and friend, and fear of losing him for his old peerage.

He scanned every member of his team and smiled when he thought about the things he'd been through with them.

The time he, Bikou, and Arthur had told each other about their pasts, and the effects it had on their bond.

Le Fay, the girl he always swore to keep her happy and never to let her experience the same sorrow he felt, a girl with so much kindness and innocence.

Kuroka, the most selfless, caring person he had met. The person who sacrificed everything for her little sister, the girl who endured the hate of so many people, especially the hate of her sister.

And then there was Vali. The one who had been his rival ever since he met her. He still remembered how enraged he was when she threatened to kill his parents and friends, how obsessed she was with obtaining strength and to fight with strong enemies.

But the Vali he met after he joined the Hero Faction was entirely different; she was sensitive, she greatly valued her friends, she was sweet and kind.

But at the same time, she succeeded to retain the same qualities that made Issei fall for her; her determination to always become the best, her fierceness, her strength, and her beauty.

He gazed at them, and he finally understood where his place was.

"I can't" Issei answered Akeno emotionlessly; making his old peerage to gasp before the rest had started to sob.

"W-Why? Please, Issei!" Akeno pleaded, hoping that he'll rethink his decision.

"I loved all of you, and I would have happily given my life to protect you back then, but after what happened back at the hotel room... After what Rias said and how all of you didn't show any disagreement with it. You only trampled on the broken pieces of my heart!" Issei said sadly before a bit of anger slipped into his voice at the end.

"You were there during the incident with Raynare, you knew how this affected me, but still you continued to act like it never happened! Like I was completely fine afterward, and yet, you always complained when I didn't show any sort of affection towards you. You wanna know why? I was scared! Scared that the same thing that happened with Raynare will happen with you! But, then it happened, that night at the hotel you all proved to me that the fear I felt was justified!" Issei lashed out at his old peerage; causing them to wince as their heads were set down in shame.

"I remember all the things we've been through, and it makes me slightly happy, but at the same time it also increase the pain I feel from what you've done to me,"

"I found a new team, new friends who actually helped me instead of making empty promises and for that I'll forever be grateful,"

When Issei had finished talking his anger had quickly subsided as he replaced the glare he aimed at his old peerage with a sad gaze before he released a sigh.

"I am not sure, but maybe this was for the best," Everyone gasped in bewilderment from what he said.

He continued to stare at the petrified forms of his old peerage as they comprehended everything he said before he spun around and went to his team.

"C'mon guys, let's go," He said, not showing any hint of the emotions he currently felt.

His team just nodded dumbfoundedly before they, with the addition of Valerie, had left.

* * *

Issei and the rest had teleported to a nearby forest after Issei's confrontation with his old peerage.

The forest itself looked like it was taken straight out of a horror movie; the trees were dead, the soil was devoid of any color other than it's basic brown and the rare bushes that could be seen were either dying or already did judging by the decayed the branches.

The night which had slowly started to envelop their surrounding made the forest look even more ominous than it already was which caused Issei and his team to slightly shiver while they hoped they wouldn't have to stay more than they needed.

They knew that they couldn't return to the Hero Faction's HQ without a proper plan after what happened on the mission so they took this chance to teleport to a nearby place so they could devise a plan.

"What are we going to do?" Vali asked sternly.

"I don't know. Perhaps we should just go back and fight Cao Cao if the need arises," Arthur replied, not knowing what to do.

"And risk being killed? No thanks," Vali retorted.

"Well, I'm afraid we have no other choice Vali. It's not like we can hide from Cao Cao forever; it won't take him long to realize what happened and to organize a search party to come after us,"

"I know... I.. Argh! I don't know what to do!"

"As I said Vali, I think we should just return to the HQ and face whatever Cao Cao sends our way,"

"I...I guess you're right, but we should spend the night here before going back,"

While Vali and the rest had tried to devise a plan Issei and Kuroka walked to a nearby riverbank, far from the rest of their team.

They sat next to each other, each deep in his own thoughts about what had transpired earlier.

Issei thought about the confrontation with his team and if it was right to say what he did. He didn't regret it because what he said were his genuine emotions, but maybe he should've said it in a different way? He wasn't sure, but he was glad that it was finally over.

Seeing his old peerage brought back a wave of emotions that he wanted to lock up forever, and now, when they left he had to fight these feelings again so he could lock them up again.

But he knew that they won't stay locked up for long because he was aware that right now there were a few people who fought valiantly for the key. People he cherished greatly.

He was brought back from his thoughts when he heard Kuroka silently sobbing.

"Are you ok Kuroka?" Issei asked with a melodious voice as he placed his hand on the Nekoshou's shoulder in a soothing manner.

Kuroka didn't say much in return to Issei's question, but the one word that she did say was enough for him to understand exactly what was wrong.

"Shirone," She managed to say between her sobs.

Issei wasn't dumb, he saw the glare Koneko had directed at her sister when she saw her, and he knew that the two Nekoshous also exchanged some words, but he didn't know what exactly was said; he only knew that whatever it was caused Kuroka to get sad.

"I'm sorry Kuroka, I know it was tough for you to see your sister again," Issei had kindly said as he drew circles on Kuroka's back in a soothing manner.

"She told me that she hates me! She said that she doesn't see me as her sister anymore nor will I ever be," Kuroka managed to say after Issei had succeeded to calm her down a bit.

Issei grimaced when he heard Kuroka's words, and he could only sigh in sadness as he shared the sadness that the girl felt.

"I'm really sorry Kuroka. I know that if Koneko would've found out about the real reason behind the things you've done, then she would look up to you as a hero, and most importantly her sister," Issei told Kuroka in reassurance. Knowing for sure that what he said would indeed be true; he knew Koneko that much.

"I promise that I'll make things right between you two!" He said with determination that caused Kuroka to relax completely.

"T-Thank you Issei! Thank you so much," She had gratefully told him as she stared intently at his eyes. All the while both of them inching their heads closer to each other.

 _ ******_ When their lips connected both Kuroka and Issei had let out a pleasured moan as they continued to intensify their kiss.

It wasn't just a simple kiss; this was a kiss full of emotions.

Full of passion, full of reciprocated affection, full of happiness.

Kuroka moaned when she felt the brunette's tongue looking for ways to invade her mouth, and she quickly opened her mouth to allow it the access it wanted.

They fought for domination, but in the end, Kuroka realized that for her, this was a hopeless battle.

 _'I guess he deserves his title,'_ Kuroka had though playfully to herself as she released yet another pleasured moan.

When they parted for breath, she was surprised from the look Issei had in his eyes.

So much affection, so much tenderness, but at the same time so much lust, and passion.

Seeing these emotions within the brunette caused Kuroka to crack a big smile when she realized that Issei thought of her much more than just a sexy girl; he wanted her, but not just physically.

She loved Issei dearly and knowing that the brunette reciprocated it made her glow in happiness. She wished for it so much, having someone as kind, caring, and charming as him.

She would forever be grateful for the things Issei had done for her, and this was the perfect opportunity to show her the full extent of her love and gratitude.

She widened her eyes when she felt his hands grasp her kimono as he tried to pull it down so he could catch the sight of her heavenly assets.

The Nekoshou smirked when she realized his intentions and quickly helped him remove her kimono.

She was jubilant when she saw his eyes widen in astonishment when he caught sight of her breasts bouncing as her body had been fully revealed for the brunette.

Kuroka nyaa'd in pleasure when she felt his hand tightly fondled her breast while the other one guided her head so he could resume their kiss.

"Ahhh, Issei!" She whimpered in pleasure as she felt a sensation she never felt before consume her.

It took her a while to recover from the sensation she felt, but the bliss she was in continued to stay.

She looked at Issei and noticed that she now laid on top of him while he laid on his back against the grass that surrounded the riverbank, her breasts pressed against his chest as his hands enveloped her and continued to pull her even closer.

She blushed when she felt something hard make contact with her thighs, but she quickly discarded the blush in favor of a devious smirk.

Kuroka used one of her hands that were against his chest and snaked it to the erected member of her kisser; eliciting a pleasurable yelp from the brunette beneath her.

"K-Kuroka!"

They continued to kiss for a long time before they parted for air once again with a trail of saliva connected their lips.

Kuroka spent no time and quickly tried to remove Issei's pants so they could go further, only to be stopped by Issei's hand.

"Kuroka, believe me, that I want to do this so much, but now's not the time. You are just sad from what happened with your sister, and I cannot take advantage of that," Issei had benevolently told her as he began to sit up while he helped Kuroka to sit as well.

"No Issei! Believe me! I really want this; I love you so much so please..." Kuroka pleaded as tears threatened to fall from her eyes after hearing Issei's rejection.

"Are you sure that this is what you truly want?" Issei hesitantly asked, but Kuroka didn't miss the faint traces of hope that his voice held.

"I'm sure Issei. I've never done it before, and there isn't anything else that I want than doing it with you now," She whispered to him with a sultry voice, hoping that it would be enough to make the brunette succumb to his emotions instead of listening to his brain.

The brunette had returned her smile before he once again pressed his lips against Kuroka's.

They were both in bliss as they continued to kiss for many minutes until Kuroka had suddenly stopped the kiss; causing Issei to pout.

But he didn't have a chance to voice his protest due to the sudden feeling of his pants being tightly pulled off.

"Here, let me help you," He told her with a smile as he proceeded to help the Nekoshou to remove them more quickly.

Once Issei's clothes were completely removed Kuroka couldn't help but widen her eyes in astonishment as she bit her lips to stifle the gasp that threatened to surface.

His body was hefty; his chest was chiseled, and his hands and thighs were much more defined now when his clothes didn't block them, but what got Kuroka to gape was the massive pillar that stood proudly from between his legs.

"Nyaa Issei, you really are mighty," She told him with the most seductive voice she could muster, hoping to make his already massive member even harder, and sure enough she succeeded.

She cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as she saw trickles of a transparent liquid emanating from the tip of his manhood. It didn't take long for her animal instincts to take over as she dropped to her knees and leaned down to reach her objective.

She grasped Issei's manhood tightly as she inched her mouth closer.

"Oh, my... Kuroka!" Issei moaned when he felt his manhood being enveloped in Kuroka's warm mouth.

She continued to bob her head as she took Issei's member deeper with each time; causing his moans to intensify.

She stopped when she heard Issei begin to stammer what she assumed to be a warning.

"K-Kuroka... I-I'm going to..."

"Not yet Issei, the good part is still ahead of us, nyaa," She winked at him as she removed her mouth from his manhood so he wouldn't ejaculate too soon.

Issei slightly snickered as he waited for his impending release to fade before he fiercely lowered her to the lush grass.

"Well, now's your turn," He playfully told her before he tightly pressed his lips to her as his hand started to trace her curvaceous figure.

He began playing with her ears; hoping that it would be as sensitive as he thought and he smirked in triumph when he heard Kuroka purr in absolute pleasure, but the brunette was still far from stopping.

The brunette stopped playing with her ears and instead snaked his hand down to her breasts and traced the soft mound of flesh until he reached his destination.

"I-Issei!" Kuroka cried when Issei pinched her nipple, hoping that the amazing sensation that it brought would never stop.

He continued to play with her nipple for a few minutes until he stopped in favor of his true objective; her nether region.

He slid his hand all the way to her clit and was surprised when he felt his hand gets completely soaked upon touching it.

 _'She's already that wet?'_ He asked himself as he felt a tinge of pride in his chest; knowing that he was the cause of that.

He wasn't afraid anymore to admit to himself that he loved Kuroka and wanted nothing more than to make her happy as they showered each other with love.

The Nekoshou might not know it, but the effect she had on Issei's recovery was tremendous; how she opened herself up for him, how she expressed her love, how she confided him with her biggest secrets and fears, and most importantly how she desired to share one of the dearest moment a person have in his life with him out of everyone.

But Issei wanted more; he wanted to push her even further, to pleasure her even more, and he had just the perfect idea how to do it.

He started to rub her clit for a few seconds before he slowly inserted his fingers inside Kuroka, hoping to taunt her already wet clit even more.

Issei was no expert. After all, this was his and Kuroka's first time, but he could tell that she was dying with anticipation; her body just told him that.

The ever growing wetness from her lower region, the growing lust that her kisses radiated, and her rigid movement.

But if those didn't suffice then the heavenly moans she continued to release were a huge help for him to reach his realization.

She wanted him so much... And he wanted her, but he would hold on just a bit more.

He was curious about something, and he wasn't one to let curiosity hold him back.

So, when he ceased to play with her clit, he removed his hand and instead grabbed one of her tails.

He was surprised when he felt Kuroka releasing what he considered to be the most intense moan since they started.

He continued to play with her tail until he felt her convulse while she attempted to arch her back from beneath him, all the while biting her lips to stifle a scream of pleasure.

"W-Wow... Issei... That was amazing!" She told him between her wheezes.

She cocked an eyebrow in perplexion when she saw that the only reaction Issei had given was a faint smile while he continued to stay petrified in his place.

Issei for his part was absolutely marveled by Kuroka's beauty; her lips swollen, her nipples were red, her cheeks flushed, her hair was messy, and her tail moved vigorously in elation.

"Issei?" She asked him but found herself eliciting a surprised nyaa when she felt Issei rush at her and pulling her to him as he descended with his back on the grass as he resumed the assault on her swollen lips.

They continued to kiss while everything around them seemed to disappear and the time appears to move in unknown speed.

When Kuroka had broken the kiss, she and Issei wasn't sure if it lasted a few short seconds as their minds had told them or long minutes as they both felt.

Regardless of the time that passed, once they parted, it took them several seconds before they succeeded in regaining the breath they lost in their kiss.

Kuroka, who was lying on Issei's chiseled chest with her head beneath his chin, looked up at Issei with dreamy eyes.

He caught her gaze and flashed her a tender smile before he started to slowly stroke her hair.

She looked at him, and her heart fluttered in response; he was the man she loved the most, the source of her happiness and the one she would never let to escape her tight grasp, not after her sister.

She started to stir before she managed to stand up on her knees.

"Kuroka?" Issei inquired in curiosity, not knowing why she broke their last position.

The Nekoshou hadn't responded and instead placed her hands on his shoulders for support as she traveled all the way down to his erected member.

She raised herself slightly; her womanhood positioned just above Issei's erected member.

She felt Issei grabbing her rear and squeezing it as he kept her steady.

"Take your time Kuroka, do it when you're ready," Issei spoke slowly, reaching forward and taking one of her nipples in his mouth; making her elicit a small moan.

She nodded, her breath jittery. She reached down with one of her hands, grabbed him and positioned it to her entrance. The biggest thing that Kuroka had put inside her was her slim fingers and seeing Issei's massive manhood about to penetrate her made her breath to hitch in both excitement and nervousness as she wondered about how something as big as that would fit into her.

She bit her lips as she prepared herself for what's to come and in a swift motioned impaled herself on Issei's member.

"A-Ah!" She cried out as she felt her insides expand and move to fit his girth inside her; a quick jolt of pain was shooting through her.

She heard Issei mimic her cry, surprised from the sudden pleasure that shook his core. She felt her womanhood slightly ache from the penetration, and clutched at Issei and buried her face into the side of his hair, her eyes shining with tears. She felt a warm hand wrap around her, a soothing hand against the back of her head.

"It's okay Kuroka; it'll soon go away," His voice came out as a whisper.

She took a deep breath and nodded; thankful for his reassurance but at the same time turned out from the tone of his voice. After she managed to recover and the pain had become nothing more than a dull ache, she lifted herself, feeling every inch of his shaft rubbing against her inner walls which sent a new, powerful wave of pleasure through her.

She felt full, but not just because of Issei's member filling her. No, she felt full, content that the relationship she had with the person she loved the most had evolved to a stage more intimate than they could ever have. She never thought that she would've been the first to share this much intimacy with the brunette, but knowing that she had made her finally feel at peace.

As the wave of pleasure that overtook her had faded she spent no time pondering and instead wanted to recreate the amazing pleasure that made her whole being shake. She slowly lifted herself up, feeling his thick member rubbing against her inner walls which sent her through a whole new wave of pleasure.

But that wasn't enough; she wanted more so without hesitation she slowly lowered herself back at Issei; the sound of flesh slamming with each other could be faintly heard as her rear slammed into his thighs.

She relished the quivering she felt from the pleasure that shot through her, and she relished Issei more than she thought was possible for being the one who gave her this mind blowing sensation.

Slowly, she continued to bring herself up and down at a slow pace as she became accustomed to the feeling of having Issei's member penetrating her.

Issei gripped her tightly; he squeezed her rear, fondled her breasts and played with her nipples while Kuroka continued to bounce up and down his member as she began to slowly increase her pace.

Feeling the incredible warmth and wetness of Kuroka's inside, as well as the sound of their flesh slamming into each other, had made him insane with desire. Desire to just grab Kuroka and increase the pace even more, but he knew that he couldn't do it, and he fought this fought with every fiber of his being knowing that Kuroka had to get used to it and do it on her own terms; he was driven by desire, but he wasn't a bastard who'll only think of himself.

Kuroka for her part was enjoying the feeling of being the one who controlled, the one who dominated, and she wouldn't give this up so soon.

She continued to increase her pace, her moans of pleasure almost crossing the line to screams of pleasure; she felt marvelous, but that wasn't enough for her; she wanted more, more for herself and Issei.

She decided to use the domination she had to increase their pleasure.

"Nyaa Issei, don't just lie there; you can move as well," She told him with a husky voice.

The brunette smirked in return before growling in pleasure as he immediately started to slam up into her which made the Nekoshou cry in ecstasy from the movement that made it feel as if he went even deeper than she could have.

It didn't take long for Issei to match her pace, thrusting into her as she slammed down.

He ceased his thrusting and sat up while Kuroka had continued to slam down on his member. She pouted in displeasure, but she quickly banished the pout as she felt his thrusting resume.

Issei was now sitting; his hands behind his back as he used them to support himself as he continued to thrust into Kuroka who now had a tight grab on his back.

At the back of his mind, Issei felt a pang of pain from Kuroka's grab on his back which he took for her scratching his back as she continued to tighten her grab, but he didn't mind it even one bit and instead just pushed the feeling even further.

Kuroka leaned down and kissed Issei passionately while she slightly whimpered into the kiss before breaking it again so she could increase her pace even further.

"I-Issei! Nyaa," She cried out as she felt another wave of pleasure wash her.

Hearing his name being called made Issei caused him to thrust hard into her and made Kuroka to nyaa.

She started to feel herself quiver on her legs as the sensation that continued to shoot through her grew more powerful and more frequently and it wasn't long before Kuroka had started to feel her control fade.

She clutched hard on his back and head as she tried to speak.

"I-Issei, I-I..." She managed to say, but Issei didn't need more to understand and allowed himself to fall to his back as he took his hands to support Kuroka; reverting them back to their original position.

They continued, both constantly moaning each other's names as the burning sensation of desire that plagued their core made no trace of vanquishing. Instead, the desire only increased as they continued with every ounce of their strength.

Their hearts raced hard as they continued to make love to each other, both trying to satisfy their carnal desires.

Him being a Dragon and her being a Nekoshou only intensified their desires, and it wasn't long before their passion and fierceness had resembled an animal who lunge at his prey.

He continued to thrust into her like a jackhammer as she continued to slam into him like an overheating piston. They were both edging towards insanity as the sensations and bliss they were in threatened to overthrow them.

"I-Issei, I'm cumming! God, please, don't stop!" Kuroka cried as she felt her orgasm getting closer and closer, the sensation was much stronger than before.

Issei could feel himself reaching his end as well as he continued to thrust into her with every bit of his strength. It felt as if Ddraig struggled with all his might to escape from his imprisonment at the Boosted Gear so he could tear everything around him.

With the last remnants of his strength, he thrust into her as hard as he could, and it was this final thrust that brought for Kuroka's orgasm; she shot her eyes open and rolled her head back as she cried out his name and arched her back as she pressed herself into him even further.

"Nyaaa," Her mind had gone blank, and her vision had become blurry as it was flooded by a blast of colors, her throat aching as she screamed in pleasure from the bottom of her soul.

"K-Kuroka... I-I'm going to..." He struggled to say as he fought against his own orgasm; feeling her inner walls tightening around his member as her muscles contracted wildly.

"It's okay Issei; you can cum inside," She reassured him after seeing the glint of fear that his eyes had when he struggled to warn her from his impending orgasm.

She knew well of the consequences for Issei cumming inside her, but she didn't care for it even one bit. In fact, she even wanted it; it was her dream to have strong children so her species could be restored to its former glory, and there wasn't anyone else she would prefer, even in a thousand years, than Issei to be the father of her children.

"Kuroka!" He cried out her name as she felt his manhood twitch inside her as it shot its hot white fluid and filled her womanhood.

They were in a bliss that could be defined as heavenly for the couple, but Kuroka still had something in mind; she wanted to be the one who provided the finishing chord of their lovemaking.

With her last of the strength gathered she gave one final, powerful slam into Issei; causing her body to twitch and convulse and blackness to invade her vision while she struggled to breathe as yet another chain of orgasms washed over her.

She fell into his chiseled chest while his manhood was still inside her, his hands tightly enveloping her as the both of them struggled hard to regain their breath.

"I-I've never..." She stammered slowly.

"... Felt anything like this before," Issei completed her sentence as he shot her a weak smirk.

* * *

They continued to stay like that for what seemed like hours until Kuroka had regained her breath and got off Issei's manhood so she could cuddle him; her breasts pressed tightly on his arm as her head rested on his heaving chest.

"I love you so much Issei,"

"I love you too Kuroka," He whispered back before he kissed her forehead.

He didn't regret anything that happened because it led to him starting a relationship with Kuroka as well as forming a bond Vali, Yasaka and the rest of his team.

At first, he wouldn't dare to make a move on something like this, but after the confrontation with his old peerage earlier this day and the fact that it was Kuroka who made a move on him, instead of him trying to be the one who made the first move, he realized that he had nothing to fear. He allowed himself to embrace his love to Kuroka instead of being afraid of it.

Their feelings were mutual as well as their will to have a relationship with each other and now that he managed to help Kuroka to get over her past just like he helped Akeno, how he helped her to recover from the sorrow her sister had caused her. He knew that her emotions were nothing but completely genuine and not driven by anything else; there were simply no obstacles that stood in their way for happiness as a couple.

He knew that if he ever wanted to recover then, he has to do it together with those that love him and by closing himself away from them like he did would only harm his recovery.

But he knew that Kuroka wasn't the only one that wanted to stand by his side as she showered him with love. He was aware that Vali, and probably Le Fay wanted the same.

But for him, Le Fay was someone he needed to protect, someone he thought of like a sister, and he thought that she also felt the same, but he wasn't sure.

And Vali, he knew she loved him as much as he loved her, but there was something that held her back. He saw how she behaved when she talked with Valerie and he knew that Vali hid something that caused her great pain and he wanted to help Vali recover from that pain before he would start a relationship with her, so she'll be completely happy.

Because just like him, Vali was broken and just as she helped him then he'll help her. Only then will they get their happily ever after.

* * *

 ** _(Someplace else...)_**

"Damn it!" He bellowed as he watched everything that had transpired.

"See? I told you that you should listen to me," The other guy smugly told him.

"Yeah. I was a fool for thinking otherwise, but no more," He spat in anger as he gritted his teeth.

"So, what are you waiting for then? Leave them behind and join me! Together we'll achieve everything we desire!"

"You're right. I gave them enough chances to prove to me that they were worthy, but they failed to do so. They are just the same pathetic weaklings I thought they were,"

"I never thought you'd say that I was right hahaha," The other guy laughed.

"Screw you,"

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Just kill them and come! You already know where to go,"

"I know, those weaklings don't deserve to live anymore, slaying them will be the nicest thing I could do for them. But with you it's different, together we could finally achieve everything we want am I right, Rizevim?"

"Indeed Cao Cao, with you joining us, no one will be able to defeat Qlippoth!"

* * *

 ** _AN: So, two girls had already solidified their place in the harem: Kuroka, and Yasaka._**

 ** _Vali is on the way to do that, as well as the rest of the members of the harem so don't worry. I am also really sorry for the cliffhanger, but I had to do it._**

 ** _I hope you liked the chapter! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!_**


	17. Defection

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the seventeenth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! You guys are the best!_**

 ** _I must say that I am very taken aback by the immense support that this story gets and I am happy to see that I made so many people feel enjoyment or any sort of positive emotion with my stories and I hope to continue doing that! And who knows? maybe one day this story will actually reach the first page of the DxD fandom here? :)_**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the next chapter! Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

The next time Issei had opened his eyes, it was after he had felt a cool breeze across his entire body which made him shiver as the coldness of the breeze across his body had been enough to wake him up.

"Wh...What the hell?" Issei groggily asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

His memory of everything that had happened prior to his awakening was blurry for the brunette as he struggled to try and remember until a faint moan had snapped him out of his struggle and cause him to avert his gaze to the source of the moan.

He saw Kuroka lying on the grass beside him, her figure completely exposed for his eyes to enjoy, and her breasts pressed tightly on his right arm and her head taking a firm position on his chest. He looked down at himself and saw that he was naked as well.

The brunette had briefly widened his eyes in surprise as he realized that up until now, he failed to notice Kuroka's presence, but shrugged it when he assumed it to be because he was still waking up from his sleep.

Issei allowed his eyes to linger more on Kuroka's figure as a gush of memories had flooded his mind and caused him to wince in pain while he grabbed his head with only his left arm so he wouldn't interrupt Kuroka in her sleep.

Suddenly, all the missing pieces of his memory had surfaced as they linked with each other; he remembered it all now.

Going to Romania to get Valerie, Hearing Vali's sudden resistance to capturing the Dhampir girl, the meeting with his old peerage, the eerie forest they had teleported to afterward and his talk with Kuroka. A talk that had led to much more then the both of them could've imagined.

Issei cracked a small smile as the memories of his talk with Kuroka flashed through his mind over and over again, unlike the rest of the recovered memories which only needed one time.

The comfort he gave Kuroka, the promise he made to her, a promise he would never even think of breaking, and the love they shared... He didn't regret a single thing of it. In fact, it had made him happier than he had even been.

It was still new to him, all this love and affection that Kuroka had given him last night, but he wasn't scared of it nor did he thought of running away from the changes that it had brought. No, he welcomed it with open arms and a big grin adorning his face.

After Raynare, After Rias and the rest, after all the pain and sorrow he had been through it looked like the universe had finally found it in itself to smile at Issei, and he would return this smile with no hesitations.

He wanted a relationship for so long, and when he had Raynare as his girlfriend, even if it was short-lived, he was the happiest man alive. But ever since Raynare, he had suffered a terrible scar that had robbed him of the chance to feel the same happiness he felt when Raynare was his girlfriend.

For months he begged for the feeling to return, his heart longed for it more than anything. At first, his mind had allowed his heart to believe that Rias was the one who could grant him that feeling again as he slowly fell in love with the red-haired heiress and as time went by he started to be more sure about Rias being the one until she and the rest of the girls had broken his heart.

But with Kuroka it was different. He didn't need to be a genius so he could know that the feelings Kuroka has for him were as real as they could be, and he could clearly see it without her telling him.

The unconditional love that her eyes hold when they gaze at him, the excitement and happiness that her voice holds, the nervous stiffness that overtakes her body when she's with him, her aura full of affection and untold emotions.

And for the first time since Rias and the rest, Issei could say with full confidence that he felt the same about the Nekoshou girl; he unconditionally loved her with all his heart, and she was now his girlfriend.

The Draconic boy was filled with excitement when he thought about what the future would hold for them while a tiny shimmer of hope thought that the future would only hold more happiness and love for their relationship.

Perhaps at the same day and hour next year Issei could be married with Kuroka or have kids running around, but he wouldn't let the joy of these thoughts to overwhelm him because he knows how delicate fate is; how it could change in a matter of seconds.

But with all this joy he felt about his life with Kuroka as his girlfriend, there was also the troubling thoughts about what will he do with Vali, Yasaka, and Le Fay.

His heart was still not sure about the feeling it harbored for Yasaka and Le Fay, but the one thing it was sure of was that whatever feelings he had for the girls, it was more than friendship.

For Vali, his heart had already realized that the feeling he had for the silver-haired girl was nothing but love, a love that rivaled Kuroka's.

Before last night, Issei's love for Vali was the strongest feeling he had about any of the girls in his team. But after last night, after what he shared with Kuroka both emotionally and physically he was doubtful if the love he held for Vali at the moment would surpass the love he held for Kuroka.

But he knew one thing; he knew that Vali hides something from them, something that caused her great pain and unless she defeated that source of pain that haunt her, then she would hold herself back forever and because of that they wouldn't be able to have a relationship together.

Issei would help Vali overcome her pain, but for him to do that he had to know what exactly it was or else he was just useless, and the mere thought of that had made his hand shake violently.

"Nyaa, good morning," Issei snapped his gaze back at Kuroka's face upon hearing her talk; a tender smile adorning his face while he gazed at the form of his lover.

"Good morning," He replied, his voice soft and full of affection which caused Kuroka to form a big, happy smile upon hearing the feelings it conveyed.

"Nyaa, I guess we fell asleep after last night... I hope the rest aren't so worried about us," Kuroka sheepishly said as her smile had changed to a more awkward one as she thought about how their teammates were probably worried sick about her and Issei.

"Yeah, I hope so too. We should head back," Issei replied before lightly snickering as his mind conjured images of a very anxious, very pissed Vali and Bikou.

Kuroka released her tight grip on Issei's arm before she stood up and went to search for the clothes she dumped somewhere when she and Issei had stripped last night. All the while seductively swaying her rear as to arouse the brunette who didn't miss the gesture.

* * *

"Where the hell are they?!" Vali asked, her voice strained as she struggled to contain her ire and irritation while she paced back and forth.

More than eight hours had passed since Vali, and the rest had last seen Issei and Kuroka.

When they reached the forest, the sun was already setting, and after they had finished getting ready to sleep, they didn't think much of Issei and Kuroka's absence due to it not being too long since they've last seen them. And so, they went to sleep with a head devoid of any worries for their two teammates.

But now, when they saw that there was still no sign for Issei and Kuroka after a whole night apprehension has started to show itself.

"Jeez, Vali you should relax or is it that you miss your lover?" Bikou teased, his voice playful as he flashed a wide grin at Vali.

"S-Shut up! It's just that they have been gone for a long time now," Vali stuttered, her cheeks flushed from Bikou's teasing.

"Speak of the devil..." Bikou interjected as he spotted two familiar people entering the clearing they were at.

As soon as Vali heard Bikou, she wasted no time and quickly spun around to face their missing teammates, her face adorning a mix of great concern and irritation.

But that look had faded short moments afterward from what she spotted.

Issei and Kuroka were slowly walking towards them, their embarrassment clearly showing on their face, but that wasn't the thing that troubled Vali.

It was their interlocked hands, the way Kuroka's head has been softly leaning on Issei's shoulder and the emotions that flashed in their eyes when they briefly met each other's gaze.

As they got closer, Vali had started to take notice of more details that had only made her heart to clench more.

Their clothes were ragged, their hair was messy, and the smell they generated was one that Vali immediately recognized; it was the smell of sex.

Her heart couldn't stand the pressure that had been slowly placed on it as her mind had slowly started to make sense of Issei and Kuroka's condition and it was the realization that during their time away they had sex and had most likely entered a loving relationship with each other that her heart had broken.

"Vali?" She heard Issei calling her name with a voice full of worry that had gotten her confused as to why exactly was he worried.

Vali snapped out of her shock, and as she slowly regained her senses, she noticed the wetness on her cheeks and the light trembling that had taken over her body.

"I-I'm sorry..." She replied, her voice cracking as she fought against the steady flow of tears that had escaped her eyes.

She couldn't stay like that; she couldn't face Issei and Kuroka when her feelings were as clear as the sky.

"Don't worry about me; I'm fine," She attempted to reassure them, a big smile adorning her face. A smile that both Issei and Kuroka knew was fake.

"Vali..." Issei weakly muttered, his voice full of sadness as he saw the tough facade that his close teammate had tried to put.

He knew Vali enough to know exactly when she lied and faked and when she was truthful and genuine and right now she was the former, and he hated that.

He wasn't dumb, he had his suspicions about the reasoning behind Vali's gloomy mood, and he hated himself for that, but he wasn't going to regret anything that had happened last night.

He tried to reach Vali out with his hand so he can reassure her and hopefully bring some comfort to the girl who was so close to his heart, but the response he received from her had left him with his mouth slightly agape.

"I said I was fine!" She bellowed at him, her voice strong and full of many emotions.

Pain, sadness, anger, and disappointment were the few emotions that the young emperor had managed to feel in her voice.

He understood the pain, the sadness, and the anger, but he didn't understand the disappointment.

 _'Was she disappointed at me...?'_ He thought to himself while he tried to make sense of this weird, out of place feeling.

But Vali's disappointment wasn't aimed at the brunette; rather it was aimed at herself.

She wasn't his first, and the thought of it broke her heart.

For a long time, Vali had thought that the feelings Issei and her felt for each other transcended the feelings that the other girls felt for Issei and likewise. She was so confident that she would be Issei's savior, that she'll be the first one to see the depths of his soul and learn everything about him as they became one both physically and emotionally... But she wasn't. Instead, her dream had been shattered and in its place was the image of Kuroka and Issei when they emerged from the forest.

"Now that we're all here, we should probably head back and deal with the consequences of our actions," Arthur had suddenly interjected as he and Le Fay had joined them with Valerie in tow.

"Y-Yeah..." Issei replied half-heartedly while all his focus was set on Vali and how to deal with what happened.

And so, Issei and the rest had teleported back to the headquarters of the Hero Faction, ready to face the consequences of their actions.

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile At The Underworld...)_**

"I see. I guess Issei really doesn't want to come back," Sirzechs said, his voice not showing even a fraction of the emotions he felt.

During his long time as one of the four Devil Kings, Sirzechs had developed the ability to maintain a very calm demeanor despite his feelings, and it was situations like this that he was thankful for this ability.

Sure, this ability had been achieved after the countless times he had to face many tragedies and hardships, but every time, he had emerged as a stronger, better leader for his people.

But being able to hide his emotions didn't mean that he didn't feel something. In fact, he was quite upset from Issei's defection from his sister's peerage and into the same terrorist group that terrorized the three factions.

He cared for Issei greatly to the point where he considered him as his little brother and was actually willing to allow the brunette emperor to marry his beloved Ria-tan, and this wasn't something minor.

Everyone who knew Sirzechs knew of his "deep interest" in his little sister and the great concern he had for her, so allowing a specific someone to marry his sister meant much more than it looked like.

Anger and remorse have made themselves apparent as Sirzechs heard how Issei had mercilessly fought against his sister and her peerage and the words he had told them back in Romania, words that clearly showed that he had no intention to come back to their side.

"What should we do brother?!" Rias asked, desperation for an answer that would bring Issei back clearly evident in her tone.

"I don't know Rias. Let me discuss with Azazel and Michael, and we'll try to see what our options are," He told her, maintaining his calm demeanor although he slightly flinched from the desperation in Rias tone.

He could see it on her and the rest of her peerage; they looked awful. The girls looked like they haven't slept for days, their hair was disheveled, tear stains clearly visible on their cheeks and their eyes slightly red, and the aura they emanated was one of pure remorse and anguish.

Rias just nodded and with her peerage in tow has left the room.

"I have to say that your sister's words are very troublesome," Michael said with a frown shortly after Rias and her peerage had left the room.

"I agree, what should we do about it, though? If what your sister told us is true then Issei might have a fair chance to defeat us," Azazel asked, his demeanor showing the seriousness in his question.

"You're right. I think that for now, we should find out more about the current power balance within the Hero Faction so we could know the full extent of what we're dealing with before we send our people to fight what could very well be a hopeless battle," Sirzechs replied, his expression solemn.

"Wise decision Sirzechs. From what our intel suggest the people we should be concerned about the most are the White and Red Dragon Emperors and the rest of their team, the girl your sister has seen fighting Issei in Romania, Cao Cao, and Ophis; this are the people we know about. There might be more people whose been kept hidden for the purpose of being used as wildcards in the case we decide to launch an all-out assault on them," Micahel said, his expression matching Sirzechs's.

"Very well then, we should learn more about the powers of the people we already know about as well as preparing our forces for the chances of encountering other powerful people. Once we're done with this, we should devise a plan and gather all our forces to tell them about our decision and their role in it," Sirzechs summed up as relief from reaching a plan of action washed over him.

"Phew, glad that's over," Azazel said before he snatched the bottle of scotch that stood on Sirzechs table and poured him and the others a glass.

"Cheers!" They toasted while the solemn thoughts that troubled their minds had been pushed aside for a little while.

* * *

 ** _(With Issei And The Rest...)_**

As Issei and the rest of his team emerged out of the magic circle into the Hero Faction's HQ, they immediately felt that something was not right.

"Do you guys feel that too?" Issei asked as he swallowed the lump in his throat as an uncanny feeling has flooded him.

"Yeah, I guess we should check this out," Kuroka replied as she took Issei's side and clung to his hand in fright.

"C'mon, let's go," Vali said in irritation as she flashed a quick frown from Kuroka's closeness to Issei.

The more she watched the closeness the two possessed, the more pain and jealousy she felt. She loved Kuroka, and the Nekoshou was a great friend, but seeing her with the boy she loves was hard no matter if she was her friend or not. She wished she could replace her, to be the one who clung to Issei's hand and receive his words of reassurance, but she wasn't, and the most she could hope for was that one day her turn would arrive as well.

As they all continued to walk the feeling that something wasn't right had continued to strengthen. It was just too... Quiet, as if no one was present at the headquarters, and that fact by itself was just plain wrong.

Never during their entire time as a part of the Hero Faction have they come across a situation when the headquarters were as empty and quiet as they were now and that freaked them out as they tried to think of a possible reason for why has this happened now.

Upon reaching the doors to the main hall, they made a brief stop, looked at each other for confirmation and opened the doors only to find the hall void of any person.

They slowly walked in and as soon as they made the first step they quickly snapped their gaze to the floor upon feeling like they have stepped on something wet.

*GASP!* They gasped in horror when they realized that the wet thing they have stepped on was blood and a lot of it. They quickly scanned the area around the pool of blood and gasped in fright once again when they saw the bodies of none other than their fellow members lying around lifelessly.

"Th...They're all dead..." Issei whispered in complete shock as he struggled to comprehend the scene in front of him.

Kuroka dug her head deeper into Issei as tears started to wet his clothes. Le Fay had followed the Nekoshou and clung into Issei like her life depended on it as she was barely able to deal with this horrid scene.

"What the hell happened?" Bikou asked in disbelief, voicing the question that ran through everyone's mind.

"I...I don't know," Vali replied as she continued to focus on the corpses of her comrades; rage started to well up.

"Who the hell did this?" Kuroka asked, again voicing another question that ran through everyone's mind.

"I don't know, but whoever it was wouldn't live for long," Issei said as the color of his eyes flickered from brown to emerald.

 ** _['Parnter you should calm down, there's no sense getting angry now; you should try to find out about who did this instead,']_** Ddraig told his partner in hope to calm him down before his anger would consume him.

 _'You're right. Thanks, Ddraig!'_ Issei told his partner as he started to slowly calm down while the initial shock and anger had slowly subsided... Until a horrifying thought had entered the brunette's mind, a thought that made him freeze in fright before his eyes had turned completely emerald as if he was just about to enter Juggernaut Drive once again.

"Issei!" His team cried out in horror; hoping that the brunette will calm down before he would wreak unnecessary havoc.

He rushed from the main hall without sparing his teammates another look as only one thought had been on his mind.

"Where the hell are Yasaka and Kunou?!" He quietly asked himself as he rushed towards their room in hopes that the two Youkai were fine.

With each step he took dread and hope had fought for dominance as the uncertainty Issei felt only continued to increase as he got closer to the room.

He cared for Yasaka and Kunou a lot, and if harm had come their way and they ended up the same as the ones at the main hall, there wouldn't be a single being who could survive his wrath.

After what happened with Kuroka and the effects it had on him both emotionally and mentally the brunette had started to slowly understand the place that each girl in his life had in his heart.

And Yasaka's place was in the same one as Kuroka; she was someone he loved and wanted to have a relationship with her just like he had with Kuroka.

He realized that he felt that way ever since their encounter at Kyoto, but only now he had fully realized it.

Kunou, despite not knowing her very well, has slowly started to take an unclear place in his heart although a different one than Kuroka and Yasaka.

He broke the door open as soon as he reached it and was surprised when he heard a gasp resounding through the room as well as what appeared to sound like sobbing.

"Issei!" He heard his name being called before he felt someone embracing him tightly.

He looked at the person who embraced him, and relief has quickly washed the uncertainty and dread away.

"Yasaka! Are you ok?! What about Kunou?!"

"Yes Issei, we're ok. I am so glad to see you!" She had said before she gave Issei a passionate kiss on the lips which took the brunette by surprise.

He returned the kiss with the same passion that Yasaka possessed and as he did, the place she had in his heart continued to feel right as if every doubt he had about it just faded.

The couple has parted shortly after so they could regain their breaths; a thread of saliva connecting them.

"Issei!" He heard his name being shouted once again before someone has clung tightly to one of his legs.

He didn't need time to figure out who it was and he immodestly crouched down on one knee so he could face the one who clung to his leg.

"Kunou, I am so happy to see that you're ok," He said as he patted the girl's hair which managed to calm the sobbing Youkai down slightly.

At this moment, Issei reached a realization. He realized that the place Kunou had in his heart was the same place his future kids will hold.

He snickered internally as happiness started to flood his heart upon thinking that he had gotten a small family of his own.

True, Kunou wasn't his real daughter and Yasaka, and Kuroka weren't his wives, but he was sure that those things didn't have any importance; he loved the three of them, and he was sure that they loved him as well, and that's all he needed.

But with happiness came the dread as thoughts about his little family being torn apart by the same one who slaughtered his comrades.

 _'I'll protect them no matter what!'_ He promised to himself as he couldn't bare the thoughts of his small family being taken from him.

"Everything's going to be okay Kunou; I'm going to protect all of you no matter what!" He reassured the little Youkai and was pleased when he saw her crack a smile at him in return.

"Thanks, Issei!" She told him in happiness before doing something that had completely caught him off-guard.

He looked with his eyes slightly widened as Kunou bit his leg with no apparent reason.

"Oh my...I didn't expect her to do that," Yasaka said in surprise as she saw what her daughter has done.

"What exactly did she do?" Issei cluelessly asked; hoping to realize what exactly Kunou did.

"My daughter has marked you as hers,"

"Marked me as hers? What does that mean?" Issei asked in bewilderment.

"It means that Kunou decided that the one for her is you and not other," Yasaka explanation caused Issei's eyes to widen again.

Yasaka saw how stunned Issei was from what Kunou did and decided to add a little fuel to the fire.

"That reminds me that I need to do the same to you, but my way to mark someone is quite different then Kunou's, but I think you'll enjoy it much more," She teased with a husky voice which caused the brunette to brush profusely.

Yasaka giggled in response, but as soon as she heard Issei's reply, she gasped in surprise as she was caught completely off-guard by it.

"I would actually like that very much, but I would have to ask Kuroka's permission first," He told her without showing even a hint of humor which made Yasaka think that perhaps the boy was serious.

"A-Are you serious?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you don't want to?"

"I-I do!" She replied again, now irritated from the way her teasing had backfired.

"You and Kunou should move to my room because I don't think I'll be able to sleep peacefully when you're someplace else considering what happened," He suggested, making Yasaka and Kunou blush.

Issei was quite surprised from the newfound confidence and boldness that he now possessed, but it didn't mean that he didn't like it.

He realized that now when he had Kuroka with him, he wasn't scared of getting hurt anymore because now he had someone who would help him overcome the pain; a supporting pillar and partner who would ease the pain with no conditions.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? What about Kuroka?" Yasaka hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Kuroka will be fine with that," Issei said with a small smile.

"I'm going to let her know so you should pack up and move to my room. My room only has one king sized bed, but I could bring Kunou a separate bed if she wants," Issei told them before he left the room with Yasaka and Kunou looking at him in shock and disbelief from what just happened.

* * *

"Are you sure that you don't mind?" He asked for the third time.

"Yes, I'm sure," She told him in reassurance as she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's antics.

She loved him so much; he was everything she had desired in a man.

The Nekoshou wasn't surprised when he told her about his feelings for Yasaka, and she showed her support in the idea of sharing him with another as long as she'll get her time with him. There was no doubt even for a slight second that Issei would stop loving her if she shared him with others; his heart was just big enough to contain more than one girl in it, and his dream of having a harem has made his resolve even stronger.

She was aware of his goal for quite a while. At first, she thought that he was just a pervert who wanted nothing more than having a bunch of beautiful girls surrounding him as they begged for sex, but as she got to know him, she realized that his dream came from a much darker place than she initially assumed.

It came from the loneliness he felt as well as the feeling of rejection he had always received from girls and not only from his hormones; he wanted multiple women who would shower him with love as he did the same for them.

"Thanks, Kuroka! Did I already tell you that I love you?"

"Always," She told him with a smile before the two of them had returned to their room.

* * *

 ** _(The Next Day...)_**

Issei has woke up with a smile on his face as he gazed at the other occupants of his bed.

After Rias and Raynare he didn't think that he'll get to experience love and happiness again, but now as he lied on his bed with Kuroka, Yasaka, and Kunou, who was on the bed across from theirs, he realized that he was wrong.

His mind had wandered to the surprise that awaited him when he entered the room after his training. How he saw Kuroka and Yasaka lying naked on the bed.

Issei could've sworn that if it wasn't for the sheer surprise he felt, he would've painted the room red with his nosebleed.

He wondered where Kunou was, but his concern was quickly put to rest when Yasaka has told him that she left her with Le Fay for an hour or two, depends on how long will they take.

Issei was hesitant about leaving Kunou someplace out of his reach, but he trusted Le Fay so he let his worries fade as he went to Yasaka and Kuroka and spent what he could describe as the best two hours of his life.

Their heavenly moaning that accompanied his thrusts, the tightness that enveloped his member, the sweat that adorned their body as they continued their activities with undying vigor, and their climax as he came inside Kuroka while his tongue had played with Yasaka's womanhood until she came as well.

By the end of their activities, Issei had come to the conclusion that his decision of asking Yasaka and Kunou to stay in his room was by far the best decision he had ever made in his life as he looked forward to many nights like this one.

He got up from his bed and went to wash all the sweat and other fluids that last night had brought.

Once he was finished, he was pleased to see that Kuroka and Yasaka were already awake and waited for him to get out of the shower.

"We would've joined you, but we feared that we might wake Kunou up," Yasaka seductively told Issei, kissing him on the lips before she went to the shower.

He went to Kuroka and gave her a big kiss on the lips before they sat up on the bed as Kuroka waited for Yasaka to finish so she could enter the shower next.

After Yasaka and Kuroka had finished showering, they woke up Kunou, who quickly got ready, before they went to the main hall after being asked by Vali last night to attend to the main hall.

* * *

Once they reached the main hall, they saw that everyone were already there waiting for them. The flashed them a sheepish smile before they took their place by their side as they waited for Vali to start.

"Morning everyone! I hope you had a good sleep..." Vali started.

"Due to recent... Events, we were all left with many emotions as well as uncertainty about many things such as who has committed this horrific act as well as why, and the reason I gathered you all here is so we could try and find out about what exactly had happened last night," She continued, her gaze aimed at Kunou as she finished her words.

"Kunou, you and your mother were the only ones who were present here during the events that happened last night so could you tell us what exactly has happened?"

"Y-Yes..." Kuroka timidly replied from her place between Issei and Yasaka.

"My mother and I were talking when all of a sudden we heard screams coming from outside our room. We were worried, so we went to the main hall to see what this was all about, but when we entered, we saw Cao Cao killing everyone in his sight without showing any mercy towards them. We gasped and tried to run, but our legs wouldn't budge. Once he noticed us, he slowly walked towards us. By the time he was a few steps away from us my mother has regained herself and lunged at Cao Cao and briefly fought him so he wouldn't be able to reach me. Both of them didn't suffer any injury, and a short while after the fight had started Cao Cao had stopped it and said that someone was waiting for him and that he'll come for us later," By the time Kunou had finished telling the story, everyone but Yasaka looked at her in astonishment while Issei and Vali just shook violently while unadulterated rage started to well up inside them.

"I can't believe Cao Cao did this," Bikou said in incredulity.

"That bastard! He'll pay for what he's done!" Issei said in spite, barely able to contain his rage.

They all continued to stay like that; each to his own thought as they tried to deal with the news about the culprit behind the slaughter of their comrades.

They were all snapped out of their daze when a loud sound of what appeared to be a wall crashing had resounded through the hall before the room had been filled with debris and dust.

By the time the dust had cleared Issei and the rest were in their battle stance, ready to attack whoever it was that stormed their headquarter, but were surprised when they saw who it was.

They saw a beautiful girl who looked to be in the same age as Yasaka; she had a long beautiful pale blue hair, the color of her eyes the same as the one of her hair, her breasts rivaled Kuroka's in its size, her clothes were made out of a navy blue blouse and blue denim pants that hugged her figure tightly.

Issei and the rest had noticed that since the girl had crashed into the main hall, the atmosphere has clearly changed into a colder one.

"Who are you?" Issei asked in irritation as he pointed at the girl with his left hand that was clad with the Boosted Gear.

"You dare to point that finger on me you vile Dragon?!" She asked, her eyes turning darker as she noticed the gauntlet on Issei's hand and the aura he emanated.

"I see that you're here as well Albion," She said as she sensed another familiar aura in the room.

 _ **["Yes, I have to say that I am quite surprised to see you,"]**_ Albion replied, a bit of surprise evident in his voice.

 _ **["Me too, although I can't say that I'm glad to see you,"]** _ Ddraig interjected; making the girl grow irritated.

"Even after all this time, I can't seem to get over the bile that threatens to come out whenever I hear your voice," She told Ddraig while she glared at Issei.

 _ **["I suppose that you didn't miss me at all?"]**_ Ddraig asked mockingly.

"Pff as if! I waited so long for this moment. I've tried to track you down for years, but every time I felt even a faint trace of your aura it always disappeared and showed up later at a different location, but now... Now I was fast enough and have finally managed to get to you before you disappeared again! You should've known better to control your aura,"

"You two seem to know this girl so could you tell us who the hell is she?" Issei asked the two Dragons in exasperation.

 ** _["This is Tiamat, a legendary Dragon and one of the Five Great Dragon Kings"]_**

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! I'll see you next chapter._**


	18. Blue King

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the eighteenth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _I also want to apologize for the time it took me to update. I had some problems with this chapter, and it took me some time to eliminate them, so I apologize for that._**

 ** _This chapter will feature a backstory that I made up for two characters so expect some AU and OOC in this chapter. This chapter will also be the build-up for the fight that was teased in the last chapter._**

 ** _I worked hard on this backstory in various ways, so I hope that you'll like the result!_**

 ** _I also want to say that unlike the other chapters, this one I wrote without the help of my beta so the reviews you guys leave will be very valuable for me so please make sure to review in a civil manner! :)_**

 ** _Also, about the rewrite of my first story. There have been some problems with it as well, so it will take me some time to complete it, but I am making progress with it so don't worry._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

Tiamat... That was her name.

She was a beautiful girl in the same age as Yasaka; she has a pale, long beautiful blue hair which also matched the color of her eyes and her bust rivaled that of Kuroka in its size. Her clothes were a combination of a navy blue blouse and blue denim pants that hugged her figure tightly; she was a beautiful girl, and that fact didn't go unnoticed by Issei who would've found himself wiping the drool off his mouth if it wasn't for the fact that this was no ordinary girl.

The girl looked exactly like any other ordinary girl; her face, her body, her hair, her clothes... Everything just matched up, but inside of that body who only pretended to be human hid one of the most powerful Dragons in existence.

Tiamat had many names during the course of history. Some called her "the Blue Death" while some called her "Blue Chaos." It didn't matter how the people who knew her liked to call her because one thing was for certain regardless of what name they used more often and that thing was that Tiamat was not to be messed with unless you had a death wish.

Upon hearing Ddraig and Albion speak her name something rang up in Issei's mind as if the name he just heard sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember where exactly did he hear it until it finally dawned on him.

This was the same girl that Tannin had told him about during their training back in the Underworld. This was one of the Great Five Dragon Kings, and Issei wasn't a fool; he knew that Tiamat had got the exalted title of a Dragon King for a reason and not because of her graceful form and beautiful color.

And that same woman, that same Dragon King for some reason had someone she hated more than anything in the world to the point that she searched for him for many years, and just for Issei's poor luck that same being was the Dragon who inhabited his Longinus.

"You should relax boy; I can smell your fear all the way from here. You shouldn't worry; your death will be very quick," Tiamat told Issei, her voice filled with mockery and disdain and her face graced with a sick grin aimed specifically at Issei, who slightly shivered in response.

"W-Why do you hate Ddraig so much? What could he possibly has done?" Issei asked with a voice slightly shaken as he continued to maintain his stare on Tiamat as if he was afraid that she could disappear for a second and kill him.

"Why I hate him you ask? That's a good question and the story behind it is quite long, but I'm afraid you won't have the time to listen to it since you'll soon be dead," The bluenette replied before she started to tread towards Issei slowly.

With each step she took she became closer and closer to the brunette and as she did Issei could slowly see more of the emotions that hid behind her eyes; the emotions that her mouth has yet to release to the world.

So much... Spite, so much bitterness, and so much regret; her eyes didn't hold any innocence or alacrity behind them as the faint traces Issei could've seen had suggested. It was as if the owner of those eyes died a long time ago and in her place was a being full of unadulterated rancor.

"Tell me... I want to know. Maybe some things could be reversed," Issei asked with a small voice for only Tiamat to hear.

"Reversed?! Hahaha, you are a naive boy. The things that Ddraig had done to me were many years ago, and the things I experienced because of that made me the Dragon I am today," Tiamat briefly widened her eyes at Issei's remark before she narrowed her gaze at him and laughed bitterly at his words.

"Maybe you're right, but the least you can do for me is tell me before you try to kill me for something I don't even know," Issei replied with a voice that showed Tiamat and the rest of the occupants of the room that this was something he wasn't going to give up on.

"Hmm... Very well, I suppose I see no harm in delaying your death in a couple of minutes," Tiamat said with a shrug of her shoulders as she halted her movements towards Issei.

 ** _['Partner I don't think it's a good idea...']_** Ddraig anxiously told Issei. He already knew the meaningless of his words. He knew Issei to good to know what the brunette will say in return.

 _'Shut up Ddraig! I want to know how you messed up!'_ Issei replied in irritation just like Ddraig had anticipated.

"Hey boy are you listening? Or I should just finish you off right now instead?" Tiamat asked in annoyance upon seeing the distraught look on Issei's face.

"S-Sorry! I'm listening!" Issei retorted, with a slight hue of crimson on his cheeks upon being caught in a daze.

"You see, many years ago I wasn't one of the Five Great Dragon Kings like I am today. Back then a big war had occurred, a war between the former Five Dragon Kings and the rest of the Dragons who were against their ideal that peace should be made between the Supernaturals and the Dragons. This war had lasted for many years, and many lives of both fighters and innocence Dragons were lost during its course, but in the end, we, the resistance who stood against the Dragon Kings ideals had emerged victorious. It was during this war that I had first met Ddraig; A Dragon who was among the few rare Dragons that stayed completely out of the war... Well, until that incident..." Tiamat started while everyone in the room including both Dragons who already knew the story listened intently.

* * *

 ** _(Flashback...)_**

It was a day like any other. The sun shone brightly in its full glory upon the land, signaling that the summer was far from being over. Birds were tweeting all across the forests that went on for miles until the eyes of an average human who stood on one of the mountains couldn't see the edge of it. Their tweets, those melodious tweets of them were like music to the ears of many of the beings which occupied the forest; it made them serene. But not everyone considered it as music to their ears, as an overly pissed Blue Dragon worried to show.

"God, I hate those birds! They always wake me up from my slumber!" She bellowed, her tone signaling to whoever was nearby that this wasn't someone they should mess with.

Seeing that there was no way for her to return to her sleep unless the birds would be disposed of one way or another, the Dragon smirked deviously when an idea to achieve just that had popped into her mind.

 _*_ Roar _!*_ Her roar was one of fierceness and anger, one that shook the ground and the trees around her and even made the animals in the proximity to shiver in fright before they opened in a vigorous dash to escape from the source of that terrifying roar.

And so, she cracked a triumphant smile upon achieving her goal before her eyes closed once again in preparation for the slumber that awaited her.

 ** _(Later That Day...)_**

"Tiamat, wake up!" She heard a voice call to her as she was slowly being pulled out of her slumber.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" She asked as she woke up and gazed at the Dragon who stood in front of her in surprise and perplexion.

He was one of the Dragons that stood with the rebels in the war against the Dragon Kings, she vividly remembered seeing him in one of the meetings they had about their next course of action, but for some reason, his name had escaped her mind.

"I got an order to tell you to return to the frontlines by midnight for preparations for our next assault on the Dragon Kings army," The messenger Dragon told Tiamat, his tone indifferent as he told her the message for which he was sent to give.

"I see... I shall fly there within the next hour. Thank you," She thanked the messenger after she rubbed the last remnants of sleep away from her eyes.

The messenger only nodded in return before he took off with a flap of his wings.

It wasn't long after her talk with the messenger that Tiamat saw no point in staying and took off towards the forces that awaited her.

By the time she left the sun she had gone to sleep with was instead replaced by the moon that greeted her with its full form.

She flew north towards the forces, but much to her dismay and horror she didn't manage to travel much as she was abruptly met with five Dragons from the Dragon Kings Army that seemed to be waiting for her.

They were big, each with a different color adoring his form, and many nasty scars could be seen on various parts of their body, scars that told only a fraction of the story that stood behind it.

"Well well... We waited for you for quite some time now little Dragon," One of the Dragons said with a cold voice and a sick grin that said differently than the coldness in his voice.

"What is it that you want from me?" She asked dumbfoundedly.

She had her guess as to what they wanted, and she was confidence that it was right despite how much she didn't want it to be. She thought that maybe if she would play dumb than the Dragons would reveal more to her like how did they know about her affiliation and the course of her flight towards the forces.

"A little Dragon told us that a very powerful Dragon of the rebel forces would be making its way towards the forces that fight in the north, and we thought that this is just a golden opportunity that shouldn't be missed," The Dragon said, his tone now matching the wickedness of his grin.

"A golden opportunity to get your asses handed to you?" The Blue Dragon teased back in mockery. A smirk was adorning her face when she saw the tick marks that graced her enemies.

"You should know when to keep your mouth shut. You're clearly at a disadvantage here so I would advise you to think before you speak," The Dragon replied back in irritation.

"Oh? You may have the numbers, but I have the strength," Tiamat said before she rushed at the Dragons with all her might.

 ** _(Sometime Later...)_**

It has been quite some time since Tiamat, and the Dragons had started to fight each other, and so far things weren't looking bright for the lone Blue Dragon.

As much as she hated to admit it, the Dragons she fought against were a force to be reckoned. At first, she thought that due to the ample scars that graced their forms then they were Dragons who had seen many losses in their fights. But now she understood that those were scars that were made by an opponent which luck was on his side and nothing more.

She tried to land a few hits on them, both with her fire and her paws, and she did succeed, but the number of times she did could be counted on one of her paws in comparison to the times they had managed to strike her.

"We're going to end this fight!" The Dragon that she spoke to earlier cried in vigor and triumph before the other four Dragons had joined their friend in preparations for the killing blow.

Tiamat knew that her chances of survival were very slim; her body was injured severely, her wings and legs were incapacitated, and her sight was blurry; she was in no condition to escape whatsoever.

And so, without a choice, she waited petrified in her spot for the killing blow to come and end the pain that overwhelmed her entire body.

But... It never came. Instead, something quite peculiar had happened, something that left Tiamat with her mouth agape and her eyes wide in shock.

She saw how an enormous torrent of fire had suddenly appeared and engulfed the five Dragons.

She was glad for the distraction that the torrent of fire had brought, but she was sure that the five Dragons would soon recover from the surprise and go on the offensive, but then it happened... In place of the five Dragons, Ash came dropping down onto the ground before the torrent of fire had stopped only to reveal that the Dragons were not there anymore.

"T-They're Dead?..." Tiamat asked, her voice weak as she continued to lose blood, her vision slowly blackening.

"Yes; there isn't a single being in existence that can withstand my mighty flames," A voice had told her before she felt the ground tremble a bit as the owner of the voice had landed in front of her.

His form was Crimson-colored; his eyes emerald and his form told Tiamat that this was a Western Dragon.

"T-Thank you for saving me... But I fear that it's too late for me. Can you tell me your name before I pass so I could remember my savior's name when I reach the afterworld?" Tiamat asked, her voice getting weaker and weaker as she spoke.

"You are not going to die, but I will tell you my name, and I'll wait to hear yours once you wake up. I'm Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor!" Tiamat had only managed to form a faint, grateful smile before everything went black.

 ** _(A Few Days Later...)_**

It wasn't until a few days later that Tiamat had woke up for the first time since she was ambushed by the five Dragons from the opposing army of the current Dragon Kings.

Upon seeing the light that invaded her eyes, Tiamat had quickly opened them in surprise before a gasp had erupted from her throat from seeing that the light wasn't a part of the long dream she had but rather a part of the real world. The world she didn't think she'll have the chance to see again.

"I... I'm... Alive? How? I thought I died back then," She asked herself in bafflement, still confused as to how she survived the grave injuries she sustained from the ambush.

She was certain that her mind didn't mistake her. She remembered the injuries she suffered during her fight against the five Dragons; the nasty cuts that adorned her body, the bite marks that penetrated the scales on her wings and neck. But those injuries weren't the ones that caused Tiamat to bid farewell to her life earlier than she should've done so. No, the injuries that had caused her to do so were the ones caused by the Dragons abilities rather than the physical attacks.

The extreme coldness that enveloped her body with each time one of the five Dragons, a descendant of the Blizzard Dragon as Tiamat assumed, had struck her with his attacks.

The boiling venom that threatened to burst her blood vessels with each time the Venom Dragon, the one that spoke to her before the fight, had managed to land a nasty bite on her.

The sudden numbness of her senses that followed each time she inhaled some of the particles that were mixed in the roar of the Yellow Dragon that Tiamat assumed to be a Sprite Dragon.

While those three Dragons had been the primary source of Tiamat's injuries, it didn't mean that the other two Dragons who inflicted the physical injuries on her did not have a hand in her downfall.

She remembered all of it like it happened only minutes ago and as she did, she found herself involuntary shrinking away as if she was reliving the horrors she experienced in the ambush.

Only when she realized the meaning of her reaction to those horrid memories did Tiamat understand that those damned Dragons had managed to not only wound her physically but also mentally and for that, she would forever curse their existence.

Her mind had realized the effects that those memories had caused it and in exchange had switched the horrid memories in the memories that followed them.

"I wonder how that Dragon is... He said his name was Ddraig right? I wish I could've thanked him for saving my life," Tiamat said in frustration for not being able to thank that mysterious Dragon who saved her life.

That Dragon... He was so beautiful; the Crimson color that made his Western figure all the more majestic, those emerald eyes that managed to mesmerize her in the glance she gave him, and the incredible strength he possessed had left Tiamat awed like she had never been before.

"I see you are finally awake," She shrieked upon suddenly hearing a booming voice making its presence known to her.

"W-Who are you?! Stay back!" She cried in panic as fear gripped her upon thinking that this was an enemy.

"Relax; it's me, Ddraig," Ddraig told her, his voice now a bit softer so the Blue Dragon in front of him won't be frightened even more.

"D-Ddraig?" She hesitantly asked.

"Yes. Don't worry you are safe," Ddraig told her as he made his way to her side so she could see that indeed it was him.

When Tiamat had laid her eyes on Ddraig, the fear she felt vanished like it never existed and in its place was now a feeling of happiness and gratitude toward the Crimson Dragon who saved her life.

"It's really you... I am so happy to see you Ddraig! I wanted to thank you for saving my life! If it weren't for you I would've been long gone by now," She told him with a sincere smile that showed the immense gratefulness she felt and tears pouring from her eyes.

"O-Oi... Relax; it wasn't that big of a deal," Ddraig sheepishly told her, his face redder than it was supposed to be.

Tiamat struck Ddraig as a very strange Dragon; her color, her powers, her figure, and most of all her behavior. He saved quite a few Dragon in his life both males and female alike, but none of them had expressed their gratitude in the way Tiamat had been.

The males praised his strength and challenged him to a duel, so their last remnants of pride that survived the shame of their defeat had brought could be salvaged and restored back to their previous glory.

And the females were all the same; the coy smile of gratitude and the not so humble attempts at repaying him with their bodies as they continually tried to seduce him. But Ddraig didn't care for such things; he found their efforts to be futile hinders to his true goal to find the one who won't turn to ash under his fire.

But it didn't mean that Ddraig didn't care for girls; he was a male, and like every other male he appreciated girls in his own way. But he had his priorities set, and the only thing that could've set him off his track was if he were to find a female Dragon that was not like the others.

As Ddraig examined Tiamat more and more his mind continued to tell him that this girl was different, that she would be the girl who would set him astray of his goal.

This was something that Ddraig considered obscure, baffling; this was something he knew little about.

He was a Dragon of War! One that lived solely to fight his way to domination and not to solve the obscurity of his mind; he was a Dragon of sheer power and not one of knowledge. But against all the odds, he found himself attracted to the Dragon he saved from death's door with the only explanations for it being the odd feelings in his heart that slowly fueled his instincts and the puzzling thoughts that his brain had conjured.

"A-Are you alright Ddraig? You seem a bit off for quite a while now, and it got me worried," Tiamat soft voice snapped him from his train of thoughts.

"I'm alright, but I fear that I forgot to ask you something important,"

"What is it?" She inquired in perplexion.

"What is your name?" His question caught Tiamat off-guard.

Tiamat did not expect this kind of question. When Ddraig told her that he wanted to ask her something important she assumed it to be along the lines of why she was there and why did those Dragons ambush her and not something as trivial as her name.  
If it were any other Dragon Tiamat would have shot him a nasty glare for making her worry that much, but he wasn't any other Dragon; he made her heart to feel warm and her stomach to feel like butterflies were flying inside it.

"T-Tiamat," She gently whispered as if she feared that someone other than Ddraig was listening.

"Tiamat huh? That's a very nice name," He complimented with a grin on his face.

"T-Thank you..." She replied sheepishly with her cheeks now red.

She couldn't explain the origin those odd sensations, but she wasn't clueless as well. She knew that those feelings were felt when you loved someone, and she had a wild guess as to who she felt it for, but she didn't understand why.

Why did she have those feelings for Ddraig? She just met him after all, and she knew little or none about him! But still... There was something about him other than his looks that had Tiamat completely captivated without her even realizing it.

His aura; it was one of sheer strength and domination. It was an aura that promised pain to his enemies and cares for his allies, but that wasn't the thing that captivated Tiamat. It was the feeling of emptiness that his aura gave off.

He felt strong, dominative, but at the same time, he felt empty as if there was an entire part of him that was missing.

And then it hit her: Those were the only things she felt from his aura.

He didn't possess any emotions other than wrath for his enemies and happiness for his allies.

Love, sadness, hope, excitement, and humor all looked as if they were complete strangers for the Red Dragon in front of her and she didn't understand why.

She didn't feel even the tiniest of malice in his aura, and the fact that he saved her when he had no reason to do so only proved his kindness even more.

He was incomplete, and Tiamat wanted to be the one who would complete him.

She wanted to be with him, to introduce him to the emotions he never knew about, to show him that there was more to this world than fighting even if it was the goal in his life, and even if he did want to fight, she wanted to give him a reason to fight! She wanted to fix the Dragon who saved her life, the Dragon she loved.

"Ddraig..." Tiamat whispered softly.

"Yes?" He said as he inched closer to Tiamat so he could hear her.

"Why is it that your aura feels so... Hollow?" Her question caused Ddraig to draw back and widen his eyes in surprise.

"Hollow? What are you talking about?" He retorted as if his answer was a part of a long-lived reflex.

"Your aura... No matter how much I try I can only sense strength and domination from it and nothing else as if a part of you is missing," She confessed.

Ddraig widened his eyes even more upon hearing Tiamat's confession. His mind was right; this girl was nothing like any other girl. She could do what none other could: she could sense the hollowness of his soul.

"You can feel it huh? I never met someone who could sense this in my aura," He nervously admitted.

He didn't like being exposed like this, to be read entirely by someone; he didn't like having this weakness of his known, but For some reason, when it was Tiamat he didn't care if she saw his weakness or not.

"Yes, and I want to know what caused this emptiness in you," She sincerely told him, her tone showing her yearn to learn more about this mysterious Dragon.

"Alright. I'll tell you," And with that Ddraig started to tell Tiamat everything about him.

He told her of his harsh life as a young Dragon where he learned the cruelty of life and the superiority strength had in compared to emotions like love. He told her of his goal to find the Dragon that will not turn to ash under his flame, a goal that gave meaning to his empty life.

And then he told her of the weird feelings that had been triggered inside him since he met her with hopes that she would be able to help him with them, but little did he know that what he just told Tiamat would bring him something he wished for many years.

His confession left Tiamat surprised, and overjoyed. When she heard about his strident past, she felt sympathy for him due to her past not being that different from his, and when she heard him say that his life felt empty, she felt pity. When he told her about the gravity of his goal, she felt happy that he found something to cling into so he would be distracted from the emptiness of his soul, but when she heard him confess to her about his weird emotions she found herself overjoyed beyond relief and also amused.

He was telling her that he loved her with every part of his being and he didn't even realize that.

But with the happiness that this confession had brought also came sadness when she realized that Ddraig didn't understand the meaning of his confession because love was a stranger for him.

"Ddraig, I don't know if you realize this, but what you just described is love," She told him, as she narrowed her gaze at him and waited eagerly for his reaction.

"Love? So those weird feelings mean that I love you?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes Ddraig and it's fine because I feel the same as you," She told him with a timid smile and a crimson hue adorning her face.

Upon hearing Tiamat's reciprocating his emotions, despite still not understanding them entirely, Ddraig felt as if the space in his soul was now a house to the emotions he never experienced in his life; he felt whole for the first time in his life.

That day was the day both Tiamat and Ddraig had received their biggest gift in life; the unconditional love of one another.

They stayed together for a long time, enveloped in each other's love as Ddraig continued to learn more about the emotions he never knew of.

They continued to live their life as an ordinary couple. Tiamat had quit her life as a warrior and had stayed with Ddraig in the clearing where she first woke up, the clearing where everything had started.

 **But the place that saw the beginning of the love between the two Dragons had also seen the end of it.**

 _ **(A Few Months Later...)**_

It had been a few months since that fateful day at the clearing, and so far things couldn't be better for the two of them. They were closer than ever, and words like arguments or disagreements sounded like nothing but things you hear in fiction; they lived in perfect harmony with each other.

But on a fateful day while Tiamat had been out hunting for dinner as she would usually do Ddraig stayed in the clearing where he took a nap.

This was a usual thing for the couple. While one of them were out hunting their dinner, the other one would use that time to take a nap and this day wasn't any different... Yet.

While Ddraig was stuck deep in the depths of his subconscious, he failed to notice the odd noises that came closer and closer with each second. Only when the noises sounded like they came from right beside him did the Red Dragon finally woke up from his slumber.

"W...What the hell is that noise?" Ddraig drowsily asked as he slowly started to recover from his sleep.

At first, he didn't think much of the noise and had assumed that it was probably Tiamat or a nearby animal. When he received no answer from Tiamat and his nose had failed to detect any smell of nearby animals other than the Dragon scent that he and Tiamat gave off he started to get suspicious.

 _'I should take a look to make sure it's nothing'_ He thought to himself, hoping to get this over as soon as possible so he could return to his sleep.

As he looked around the clearing in search of the thing that arose his suspicious Ddraig had found nothing which caused him to release an exasperated sigh.

"I guess I was disturbed in my sleep for nothing," He said to himself, upset that his precious sleep was interrupted by nothing but one of the tricks that his mind had played on him.

"I wouldn't call that nothing boy," He heard a voice that sounded like that of a female speak as if she was right beside him, whispering in his ear.

He tried to turn around to see the identity of the owner of this voice, but he was too late as his head was met with a painful strike before everything went black for the Red Dragon.

* * *

 ** _(A Few Minutes Later...)_**

Tiamat made her way back to the clearing where her loved awaited her and the animal she held in her mouth.

Even though it's been a few months by now, she still couldn't believe how her life had turned to the best as they had. She still failed to comprehend the fact that she found the love of her life.

She knew that if someone would've asked her a few months back where she would see herself in the near future, Tiamat never would imagine that she would be spending her life with her lover as an ordinary couple. The best she could probably guess at that time was her living through the war.

Things were going very well between the two Dragons, but for Tiamat, it felt like things were stuck at their place and despite liking the place they currently stood at in their relationship she wanted more.

And so, during her hunt, she decided that once she came back, she would ask Ddraig the question that had been plaguing her mind for a while now. The question of having baby Dragons.

She wanted to have a legacy, a continuation of the things she stood for, and she wanted to give life to baby Dragons that would hopefully get to live in a world where the war they were currently at was nothing but history.

The Blue Dragon was unsure as to what her Crimson lover thought about the issue of having babies, but she hoped that the harmony they had in their relationship would stretch to that issue as well.

She wanted to be a mother, to give her babies the lives she never got to experience when she was little, life without horrors in it. She wanted to know for certain if Ddraig really loved her as she loved him.

Yes, even that long after that fateful day Tiamat had her doubts about the Ddraig's feelings towards her. He told her that he loved her each and every day during the time they spent at the clearing and Tiamat knew that he was sincere with his words, but the uneasiness in her heart refused to leave her regardless if her mind believed his words or not.

Tiamat knew that having babies together would finally prove to her heart what her mind had already known.

"Ddraig I'm back," She announced her return in elation, happy to see her lover again.

But the elation Tiamat had felt upon returning was soon replaced with anxious upon seeing that her lover wasn't anywhere in sight.

She spent no time and quickly went to the place where she last saw Ddraig and had quickly used her nose to try and find any suspicious smells that could give her more information about what happened.

Tiamat wasn't the type who would instantly assume that the worst had happened, but for some reason, this situation was different for her; something in her had told her that this time assuming the worst wasn't a bad thing.

And as she used her nose did Tiamat realize that the uneasiness she felt was justified.

"W-What is it... I don't recognize those scents," She said with a shaky voice and a panicked expression when her nose had caught three offbeat scents surrounding Ddraig's.

She tracked the scents to a nearby log where the piece of the puzzle that she needed waited for her.

"They... I'll make sure they pay!" She bellowed in spite when she saw a familiar insignia engraved in the log; the insignia of the current Five Dragon Kings.

And so, with only the thoughts of rescuing her lover from the grasp of the Five Dragon Kings and destroying them in her mind, Tiamat set off to the front lines where the remaining forces of the rebels fought valiantly against the last line of defense of the Dragon Kings castle.

That day was a day that would forever be remembered in the history of the Dragons. The day where a lone Blue Dragon broke the last line of defense that stood between the rebels and the Five Kings. The day where a Blue Western Dragon, a Black Eastern Dragon, a Green Asian Dragon, a Grey Eastern Dragon, and a Golden Western Dragon had fought against the Five Kings until they had finally perished under their strength.

After she and the other four Dragons had successfully defeated the Kings, Tiamat had rushed to the dungeon where she found Ddraig with heavy injuries all over his body.

"Ddraig... What have they done to you!" Tiamat cried in dismay, tears freely dripping down her face.

But she received no answer and only when she got closer did she find out that Ddraig was unconscious.

And ever since she and the rest had defeated the previous Kings things began to get odd for the Blue Dragon.

It started when she was suddenly called by a few Dragons only to find out that she was to be one of the new Five Dragon Kings alongside the other four Dragons who helped her in her fight against the former Kings.

But it didn't stop there for Tiamat as the more she invested in her new duty, the more the harmony she and Ddraig had slowly faded.

Arguments and disagreements no longer sounded like words from fiction and were now things both Ddraig and Tiamat experienced first-handed.

Tiamat, who wanted to spend all her time to give back to her kind so the losses of the war would be forgotten, found herself arguing against Ddraig, who wanted Tiamat to relinquish her title so they could return to how they used to be before that incident.

She wanted to give! To restore, and to create while Ddraig wanted nothing more than the one he loved instead of this new Tiamat that placed him in the bottom of her priorities.

He hated to admit it, but he missed the time when he was her center of attention where they spent days without food so that they would not be separated from each other even for a moment.

He missed the Tiamat who bantered him, the Tiamat who has been affable and gracious towards him, the Tiamat who neglected her duties in the war so that she could continue to live with him; the one she loved. He missed the gentle smile she would flash him when she gazed at him; a smile full of love and happiness that showed Ddraig the content she felt from the life they shared together.

That was the Tiamat he fell in love with not the one who held titles like King; that Tiamat was the exact opposite of the one he loved.

She cared, loved, and smiled but not for him. She only cared about the greater good of her kind and not about herself or the one she loved. She would dismiss Ddraig complaints about the way she behaved as nothing more than trivial things as if she cared little to none about what he thought about her.

He found himself gazing at Tiamat during the brief time she actually spent in his company while his heart clenched and his mind told him that the Dragon beside him was not the one he came to love; she was a stranger to him, an entirely different person.

It took Ddraig a while to finally find the solution he desired so much, but when he did, he realized that there was no way for his heart to stay whole.

And so, with nothing in his mind but the solution he found and the possible outcomes it would have, Ddraig went to get as much sleep as he could in preparation for the next day.

* * *

 ** _(The Next Day...)_**

So far this day has been nothing but ordinary for the new Blue Dragon King.

Her day started as it would usually start: She got up and quickly got ready before she left the room where Ddraig continued to sleep soundly.

The rest of her day she spent dealing with Dragons who came to ask stuff from the new Kings, and when the Dragons had ceased to come she spent the remaining of her day with her fellow Kings as they engaged in conversations about their past while they merrily drank.

But unlike any other day, this one ended up entirely different in a way that left Tiamat with nothing but the remnants of her broken heart.

Shortly after the sun had set down Tiamat and her fellow Kings, who were still engaged in their conversations, found themselves greatly surprised when the door to their quarters had been harshly broken by a Red Dragon that was only known by Tiamat, who had her eyes widen in shock and horror.

"D-Ddraig what are you doing?! What is the meaning of this?" Tiamat asked in alarm. Her voice was shaking as she continued to examine her lover.

His face... Something was different about it. She didn't remember ever seeing Ddraig wearing the same expression he currently had before, and it caused her to start worrying for the Red Dragon in front of her.

She continued to stare intently at him, trying to figure out the meaning behind his dreadful expression while the uneasiness she felt in her stomach only continued to intensify.

His expression was one of grief, sadness, and anger all at the same time and it bewildered Tiamat as to why he wore that expression.

 _'Did something bad happened?'_ She asked herself in worry as her mind struggled to find the reason behind it to no avail.

She realized that she would've been able to easily answer that question if only she spent more time with him. But as much as Tiamat wanted to do so she just couldn't. Things were different now, and she accepted that reality with a heavy heart.

"I had enough Tiamat! I don't recognize you anymore; you are not the Tiamat I fell in love with back at that clearing, the Tiamat who taught me how to love and gave a meaning to my life other than fighting. You keep neglecting me every time we meet, and I had enough of that! I found myself feeling regret when I thought about the day I saved you from those Dragons. You might've been the one I loved, but now I'm not sure that you are and I'm not certain that I am the one you love anymore..." Ddraig told her, his voice harsh as he continued to tell Tiamat about what he felt.

He knew that he was probably too harsh on her, that he should've said it differently, but at that moment his heart ached so much that he saw no other way nor did his mind managed to come up with another way.

Ddraig never felt sorrow in his life like he felt at that moment where he told Tiamat everything that troubled his heart and mind, and he just wished to end it as soon as possible so he could try and forget it.

"D-Ddraig I'm..." Tiamat stuttered in a loss of words while she looked at Ddraig in shock.

 _'I never knew he felt that way... If only I'd done things right'_ She wistfully thought to herself as remorse started to flood her.

If only she realized the effects that her behavior had on Ddraig. If only she spent more time with him instead of her fellow Kings... The sorrow she and Ddraig felt could've been prevented if only she did all that.

"Don't Tiamat! I only want to ask you the same question I used to ask you countless of times before: Would you relinquish your title and come back with me to the clearing we first met in so we could return things to how they used to be back then or do you wish to remain here as one of the Dragon Kings?" Ddraig asked her with a heavy voice.

"I'm so sorry Ddraig! I love you so much, but you know that I can't leave..." Tiamat replied in sorrow as tears freely cascaded down her cheeks.

She hated it! She hated telling Ddraig that she couldn't go back to the clearing with him, but she hoped that he would understand the duty she had as one of the Kings and the reasoning behind her decision to stay.

"I see... I never wished for it to end that way, but I see no other choice now that I've heard your final answer. I'm sorry Tiamat, but you left me no choice other than leaving. I can't stay here knowing that I'll only be neglected by you and would be considered as nothing but a burden for you," Ddraig told Tiamat in sorrow with his head down so the Blue Dragon wouldn't be able to read his expression.

"No... Don't leave Ddraig, please! I promise I'll make things right!" Tiamat cried in anguish upon hearing Ddraig's decision to leave.

"I'm sorry Tiamat, but there is no possible way for things to be right between us as long as you maintain your title of King,"

"No... I don't accept that... I won't let you leave Ddraig! I'll make you stay here so I could make things right between you and me just like it used to be," Tiamat told Ddraig, her voice now having a sick tint to it. One that made Ddraig slightly worried about Tiamat's mentality.

"I'm sorry Tiamat, but it can't be helped,"

"No! I am not letting you go away!" She roared before she suddenly lunged at Ddraig.

"Tiamat!? What are you doing? Stop this right now!" Ddraig cried out in shock as he struggled to protect himself against Tiamat's sudden attack.

"No... I can't Ddraig! I won't let you leave knowing that I did nothing to prevent that from happening! Fight me and if I win you will stay here with me so we could both try and make things right again," She replied, her voice filled with anguish while her tears continued to drop from her eyes at a steady pace.

She couldn't accept that. Both her heart and mind had failed to comprehend the words Ddraig had spoken to her. How could she? He was the one she loved more than anything, and she treated him like poorly to the point he decided to leave, and she wanted to make things right again, she wanted to get rid of the guilt she felt.

"I understand... You leave me no choice but to fight you back Tiamat!" Ddraig somberly told her before he pushed her back as he prepared an attack of his own.

And so, the decisive battle between the two Dragons had started, a battle that terrorized the entire Dragon race for more than a week, a battle that left the earth scarred beyond recognition.

They fought valiantly against each other while both had a different resolve that fueled their power reserves. There wasn't a single place on earth that was left untouched from the vicious fight the two Dragons had, and there was no Dragon that was left with nothing but fright when he saw the two Dragons approaching their location.

But with every beginning comes an end and after a long week of fighting the battle between the two Dragons was decided.

"Do you recognize this place Tiamat?" Ddraig asked Tiamat as he landed in a familiar place.

"Y-Yes... This was the place we fell in love with each other," Tiamat stammered in sadness as she scanned her surroundings, a sad smile adorning her face.

"Yes... This was the place where it all begun, and now it's the place where it all ends," He replied with the same smile Tiamat had.

"I'm sorry Ddraig, for everything. Please, reconsider your decision and come back with me," She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"I know Tiamat... But I'm afraid I cannot do that," He said while he noticed that Tiamat had started to close her eyes slowly.

"Goodbye Tiamat; my biggest gift... My biggest curse," He bid her farewell one last time before he left with a flap of his wings.

And so, after Ddraig had emerged victorious from the fight against Tiamat he bid her farewell before she lost consciousness from her injuries and left without looking back.

 ** _(Flashback End)_**

* * *

"Now you understand why I loathe him? He left me alone for me to deal with the remorse and anguish I felt from my actions. He never gave me a second chance, a chance that I know that I would've taken full advantage of so I could make things right between him and me... He was my source of happiness and my source of sorrow," Tiamat finished her story with tears in her eyes as she told Issei the things she desperately wanted to forget.

"What happened after you woke up?" Issei asked, shock evident all across his features.

By the time Tiamat had finished telling Issei her story, the brunette had found himself at a complete loss for words.

He never imagined that Ddraig used to be like Tiamat described him to be, and it shocked him greatly when he heard that, but he also felt sorry for the Dragon whose heart was mended only to be broken again; it reminded him of himself.

How Rias and the rest had mended his broken heart only to break it again.

"After I woke up I returned to the Palace where I kept myself locked in my room for weeks... Eventually, I came out, and when I did things were... Different. I no longer cared about my people, and my need to give back to them had faded when there was no one by my side to support me. As time went by the other Kings and me cared less and less about our title, and we ended up doing the same thing that caused the war to start in the first place; we made peace with the supernaturals. I promised myself that I would find Ddraig and make things right again, but that promise had twisted itself in the most vicious of ways. Instead of making things right for both of us I wanted to get rid of the feelings that burdened my heart desperately, and the only solution that came to my mind was to get rid of the one who caused them... Desperate need to fix our relationship had turned to merciless hatred toward the one I now considered as the source of my sorrow," Tiamat somberly told Issei.

"I... I don't know what to say Tiamat," Issei managed to say as he struggled hard to find the right words for what Tiamat had told him.

"So don't say anything boy because right now, with Ddraig in front of me, I find myself conflicted. My unwavering resolve to get rid of the source of my sorrow is now being mixed with my old desire to make things right between you and me, especially now when I think of the history we had together," Tiamat confessed. Her long-lived resolve to put an end to the source of her sorrow was now fighting against her old desire to return things to how they used to be back at that clearing so many years ago.

"Even though you are my enemy, I can't stand seeing you like that so fight me Tiamat! If I win then use this chance to make things right between Ddraig and you and if you win then know that the source of your sorrow had been finally eliminated," Issei told her as he looked Tiamat straight in the eyes so she could see the seriousness of his words.

"Issei don't do this! What if you die? We won't let you leave us..." The girls cried out to Issei in dismay upon hearing what he told to Tiamat.

"Don't worry; I'm never going to leave you," He told them with a grin adorning his face.

"Why are you doing this boy? You have no reason to help me like that... I was about to kill you just a few minutes ago," Tiamat asked Issei in bewilderment.

The Blue Dragon was really shocked when she heard what Issei told her and she didn't understand why that boy, the possessor of Ddraig, and the one she came to kill was now wanting to help her.

"Because, even though you are my enemy, I can't see you like that knowing that I can ease the pain you feel," Issei confessed to her with a smirk on his face.

"I..." Tiamat found herself at a loss for words upon hearing the boy's remark, but she knew what she had to do.

"Don't expect me to show any mercy just because of what you offered me," Tiamat told Issei with a smirk of her own before she rushed at him.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to," Issei replied with a chuckle before a bright light enveloped the brunette and Ddraig's voice roared through the room.

 **[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker]**

"Let's do this!" Issei had said to himself before he rushed at Tiamat clad in his Scale Mail.

And so, after many years the two Dragons found themselves fighting once again with the feeling that this time things will be different.

* * *

 ** _AN: I hope that you liked this chapter! Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! I'll see you next chapter._**


	19. Red King

**AN: Hey guys and welcome to the nineteenth chapter of "Switching Sides." I want to thank everyone who had Followed, Favorited, and Reviewed!**

 **I have a few things to tell you so I'll get on with it.**

 **First, for those who wait for the rewrite of my first story, I am saddened to say that it will take me quite a while to complete due to unexpected obstacles that make it go longer than it should.**

 **Second, like the previous chapter this one will also feature AU and OOC elements, but as you may know, I do not do these kinds of stuff without deeming them important and even if it doesn't look important at first know that it will serve a purpose in the future. So I hope you'll enjoy the AU and OOC elements that I incorporated in this chapter as well as waiting to see the consequences of those elements and their purpose before judging them :).**

 **Third, I am happy to announce that I have decided to add two new members to the harem. Those two are probably the most unexpected two, and I think that none of you will be able to guess. I already know that they will be very controversial and that some of you will not like them, but I felt as if they'll be nice additions to the harem and can give things to Issei like the rest of the harem as well as receiving stuff from him. I hope that when the time come for them to join the harem, you'll like them :)**

 **Fourth, The fight between Issei and Tiamat was written the way it was not because I am lazy or something rather because I felt that it is the perfect way to write it. I did not want to write the entire fight because I wanted you, the readers, to have freedom in this story to imagine how the fight went before the point I picked it in which I hope you'll appreciate :)**

 **Now, without further ado, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

 ** _"..."_** Attacks

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 ** _{"..."}_** Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 _ **{'...'}**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

 **[Dragon Shot!]** Issei bellowed as he launched his signature attack on Tiamat once again.

It has been close to an hour since the two mighty Dragons had started their decisive battle and so far the end was not in sight.

Vali and the rest of her team could only stand still as they gaped at the sheer power the two Dragons emanated and the way their suffocating aura left little to no room for them to breath.

For Vali, the breathing wasn't a problem since she was also part Dragon thanks to her Longinus but for people like Arthur, Bikou, and Le Fay found their breaths to be hitching more and more as the fight progressed.

She wanted to help! They all did because the mere thought of losing Issei and the concept of living the rest of their lives without him was something that they all failed to comprehend.

Kuroka for her part watched the fight with worry and apprehension clearly written on her face and the more the fight progressed, the more it was clear for the rest that she was holding back the tears that threatened to burst any minute.

She knew... She knew that if the worst comes and, Issei will perish in this fight nothing will be the same ever again. He was her everything, the source of her happiness, the pillar that she needed, the family she never got to have, and the missing piece of her heart and soul that she never knew she lacked. She knew, and she didn't even need to think much that if Issei will die, then she would soon follow in his steps. She couldn't handle living when everything has been taken from her. She was no stranger to the feeling of being wallowing in agony as she was in the same condition until that night where Issei managed to do what she never been able to do after all this time. He managed to pull her from the depths of her agony and seal the endless pit that only threatened to swallow her deeper and deeper with each passing day.

"Issei come back to me... To us," She whispered to herself in hope, thinking that none has heard her desperate cry for her lover to return. But someone did, and when he looked at the Nekoshou, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

 _'Kuroka... Issei you bastard! You better come back, or I'll drag you back from hell myself!'_

* * *

"You should just give up... You mere human cannot match the powers of a Dragon King," Tiamat derided Issei as she deflected yet another one of Issei's _"Dragon Shots."_

It has been an hour since the two started their fight and while she will never say it out loud, Tiamat was very impressed. She never expected Issei to last even ten minutes against her and the fact that he was still up and vigorously fighting was something that struck her with awe.

She was confident that the odds were entirely in her favor due to that while Issei is a Dragon as far as her senses told her, he wasn't a pure one thus making any powers he has both from his Dragon side or from Ddraig pale in comparison to her, a pure Dragon.

"Like hell, I'll give up!" Issei had roared before he lunged at Tiamat with inhuman speed.

"Tsch! You are a hundred years early for you to land a hit on me," Tiamat taunted in disdain as she evaded Issei's attack.

But her disdain was shortly lived as shock took its place when Issei vanished once again before he appeared above her and sent her pummeling to the ground with his punch.

"Then I guess a hundred years has already passed," Issei scoffed at Tiamat's remark as he smirked behind his visor.

 ** _['Issei dodge!']_ ** Ddraig suddenly roared inside his subconscious, forcing Issei to focus back on the fight and dodge just seconds before a blue beam made contact with him.

'Thanks, Ddraig!' Issei thanked his partner before he focused on the source of the beam and was not surprised when he saw that it was Tiamat, who emerged from the debris.

"Not many lived to say that they dodged my _"Cataclysm"_ so you should feel proud," Tiamat praised as she looked at Issei from her spot on the floor.

 _"Cataclysm"_ It was Tiamat's signature attack back from her early days as a Dragon King. Back then she realized that now that she was a Dragon King she couldn't rely solely on her strength and fire breath and so she sought help from the other kings who were more than happy to help her attain more power. The attack at its core is a beam of very condensed water. While it may not sound that impressive, this attack was praised as one of the deadliest among the known attacks of the Dragon Kings. Condensing water at the same level of Tiamat's attack was next to impossible, and that fact alone made it one of the highest ranking attacks and the damage it wrecked got many to fear this attack mortally. The Kings themselves knew something that made even them to slightly fear this attack, and that was the fact that Tiamat also merged her Chaos powers into the attack which significantly raised its destructive powers.

The more the Kings had trained with Tiamat on her new attack, the more they found out more about this marvelous talent that their fellow King possessed. As time went by, they noticed that Tiamat had been able to condense more elements other than water such as The Wind and surprisingly enough Lightning. With the wind being condensed she was able to achieve an attack that shamed any blade in existence while with lightning she was able to make the Angels light weapons look like toys in front of her lightning beam. A beam so majestic and powerful that many believed it to be God's own doing.

But the more they witnessed the growth of Tiamat's growth and understood the potential behind it the more they were filled with something that they haven't felt for years. They felt... Dread.

The event that transpired between Tiamat and her lover was still a fresh wound on the Dragon's heart, and they all knew it. But that was not what made them feel scared as they did. It was Tiamat's way of coping with that wound that made them feel that way. With each passing day as Tiamat got stronger with her powers she also got more... Sullen and morose. It was times like her mood swings from being the kind Dragon they knew back from their days at the rebel forces to a deranged Dragon who looked as if hatred was the substance that made her heart while her sick obsession with power was the one that made out her mind. They could see when she was who. Her cold stares, her smiles, her fuse being shorter and her attacks being much stronger from the hatred that fueled them.

The other Kings weren't dumb; they knew exactly what was happening. There were only two outcomes for that dreadful situation. Would Tiamat manage to win against her ever growing hatred and emerge out of this ordeal as a powerful King or will she be drowned in the sorrow and anger of her heart and will turn into the most dreadful Avenger that this land had ever known.

In the end, Tiamat had managed to win against her hatred by a miracle they didn't know who to thank for, and it was then that Tiamat had achieved her real strength now that she was finally complete.

"Well, I am not many," Issei smugly said as he returned Tiamat's piercing gaze with one of his own.

It looked to him as if the girl sought answers from his eyes despite their previous talk. Even though his eyes were covered by the visor of his Scale Mail, he felt as if the cover was nothing for Tiamat. It was as if she was in a turmoil and the only thing that could calm the storm within her would be the answer she would find in his eyes. It was said that the eyes are the window to your soul and despite not really understanding that saying Issei could not help but feel the need to maintain his gaze so Tiamat could get a peek through the window and into the answer to her turmoil.

After what seemed like hours, which in fact was only a minute, Tiamat smirked at Issei before she flashed out of existence.

Issei frantically looked around for her, but he could find no trace of her. It was as if she disappeared from the earth. He would've continued to think that if it was not for a single world followed by something that caused him to be filled with awe and horror.

 ** _"Pandemonium!"_** She shouted in her melodious tone as a beam so bright that Issei suddenly found himself thinking about Michael's golden wings.

Luckily for Issei, he managed to pull himself out of his daze at the last second and dodge the attack... Or so he thought before a sharp pain flooded his system as a piece of the Scale Mail shattered from its place on his left shoulder and fell to the floor with blood following closely after.

"Argh!" He cried in pain as he hurriedly clutched his left shoulder as he slowly descended back to the ground.

As he descended, he couldn't help but wonder why was it that he found himself in the daze he was in the first place? What was it about that attack that made him be that way?

He didn't need to think long as memories of what happened seconds ago flooded his mind and covered the missing parts that were made of his questions.

That power... It was outright terrifying! This was the power of Kings, but at the same time, it showed something entirely different as well. It showed something so clear that Issei found himself awestruck from the aura she gave as she built up her attack. That aura was the definition of chaos. Just like Issei's own was described by many to be the definition of domination or one of sheer domination that was the same for Tiamat. Her aura showed nothing but chaos, and for the first time in his life, Issei felt outright terrified. Sure, he has been scared of things before but to have an aura that matched yours in its purpose and transcended it in its power was something that made Issei shudder.

"I see you understand now," Tiamat said with a knowing voice as her gaze on Issei softened.

"Understand what?" He asked in perplexion, his voice slightly cracking as he spoke.

"The meaning of my powers," Her answer made Issei widen his eyes, but before he could talk back, Tiamat cut him.

"You see, each Dragon has a particular meaning for his powers. Yours is domination while mine is chaos. The purpose of your power is to dominate while mine is to wreck chaos. While we have a clear purpose for our powers, some don't. For example, the purpose behind Apophis, the Eclipse Dragon, powers is unknown as his name could be interpreted differently by each person, but some say that his purpose was to bring darkness to the world and its inhabitants by shadowing every source of light with his darkness. Some stated that his purpose was to surpass the strongest and achieve powers like none other. But while we do have a clear meaning for our powers it doesn't mean that we aren't free to do what we wish to do. Instead of wrecking chaos I became a protector and instead of dominating you became one that allowed things to progress naturally instead of seizing control on them. I can see it in you, the way you treat your friends as people on their own instead of trying to dominate them and force your opinions on them. I look at them, and I can see how their love is so natural just like a plant; growing naturally more and more. But while we do not have to act upon the meaning of our powers we cannot escape it. No matter how much you'll try to run from it, your aura will be one of sheer domination while mine will be of chaos,"

"I..." Issei found himself unable to speak as he digested the information Tiamat had dropped on him.

To have such a clear purpose in his life since the day he was born was something that stunned Issei greatly. His biggest purpose was to become a harem king, but that dream faded the day Rias, and the rest broke his heart, and in its place, the purpose of protecting those he loved has surfaced. He remembered the promise he made to Ddraig that day, the promise to retake his rightful title as the Dragon of Domination after it was taken from him for his new title as the Breast Dragon Emperor. The sorrow that it caused Ddraig was something Issei had never encountered before, and at first, he shrugged it off as the Dragon being overdramatic, but he soon realized that it wasn't the case. Ddraig, like any other Dragon, was very prideful and having his title stolen from him because of the actions of his host struck the Dragon hard. He never blamed Issei for it nor did he abhor him. In fact, Ddraig always came for Issei's aid and always wanted the best for his partner. He was the one who the brunette considered as someone he could always count on to help him in times of need and be an emotional pillar for him before Kuroka came along. He owed Ddraig so much and yet; Issei had done nothing to repay that but an empty promise he made.

Issei knew that back then the promise he made to Ddraig was hollow. It wasn't because he hated his partner or didn't wish for him to be happy, it was because Issei was scared. He was afraid of accepting the purpose that had been written for him since the day he was born.

Issei knew that Tiamat was right about what she said about him; he wasn't one to dominate. This part of Issei, the part of domination was something that Issei found himself struggling to accept. Forcing himself and his ideals on people, especially those he loved was something that Issei found appalling as he knew that people like that would never receive true love or kindness and that terrified him. At the same time, Issei knew, especially after what Tiamat had told him, that there's no escaping his title as his aura was a constant reminder to himself and those around him of his true nature.

Right now, as he held his left shoulder in hopes to stop the steady flow of blood that was leaving the hole that was formed by Tiamat's attack, Issei realized something. As he realized that he might not live through this fight, he allowed himself to think about everything, and upon doing it, Issei reached the definite conclusion. The conclusion that he should've reached a long time ago. He and Ddraig were not the same and thus he shouldn't try to become Ddraig nor Ddraig should try to become him. He realized that the answer for his biggest turmoil was right in front of him and once he did, all the fear that plagued his soul vanished as if it was not there in the first place.

For the longest time, Issei was afraid that should he accept his side of domination he will become a being that knows nothing but it, but that was wrong and only now did he realize it. Ddraig wasn't him; he was only a part of his soul. And by fully embracing Ddraig and the part of his soul that he presented instead of repulsing it because of what it stood for Issei knew that he would finally become whole. His purpose of protecting those he loved would not collide with Ddraig's purpose of domination. In fact, his purpose only strengthened Ddraig's own as he knew that he would do anything in his power to protect those he love by dominating those who seek to harm him and his loved ones. By accepting the domination part of his soul, Issei would finally admit to himself that where there's light, there's always darkness. The brunette will finally accept the fact that if he wants to fully protect those he care for he would have to do things that could keep him awake at nights and scar his mind. He would have to embrace this side that knows nothing but domination and instead of allowing it to consume him he would use it to make sure that everyone knew who is the Red Dragon of Domination. He would make his enemies think a thousand times before they even try to cross his path in order to harm him or those that are close to him.

He looked to his side back at his team, and he smiled behind his mask as he gazed at the reasons behind his purpose.

Kuroka, the one who gave him unconditional love and a pillar that he could always rely on even in the toughest of moments. Someone who would always be there to mend his heart should it be broken again. The girl who took his virginity and gave him her own, the girl who gave him a reason to fight valiantly even if he was inches from death. Her playful and teasing personality that could turn into a serious one at a matter of seconds, her absolute trust that allowed Issei to be the first one that Kuroka revealed her weaknesses to Issei and consider him as a part of the family she never had was what made Issei fall so hard for her.

Yasaka, the one who cared about her daughter above anything else even at the cost of forfeiting her own life. The girl that is so daring yet humble at the same time, the girl who gave Issei a place where he actually belongs, the one who gave him the family he always desired to have. The trust she gave him with the lives of both her and her daughter was something that he greatly appreciated. He felt as if he was a part of a small family with Yasaka being his wife and Kunou being his child and that thought warmed his heart. It gave him another purpose of keeping on fighting beside Kuroka, and it was those things that made him fall for the Youkai.

Le Fay, the one who was so pure that it seemed as if she was an Angel in disguise. A girl so pure that Issei found himself awed whenever he looked at her. A girl that gave him yet another purpose in his life; the purpose to protect her purity and to make sure she would never experience the things he did.

Arthur and Bikou, those who became his friends in the time he needed it the most. Those who gave him their complete trust and support by sharing their past with him.

And then... Then there was Vali, the one who would endanger her own life for those of her comrades. The one who doesn't know the word "no." as her determination is unwavering even against the toughest of obstacles. The one who knew Issei before everyone else as they fought against each other as rivals as Issei's feelings for the silver-haired continued to grow as time passed. The one who has a connection with him like none other, and the one who give Issei something to strive for be it the yearning to become stronger than her, his rival, or to uncover the hidden side of her. Those things had brought for Issei to fall hard for her, but despite his feelings, Issei knew that he couldn't be with Vali as the truth she hides beneath the surface is the final barrier between them and he would do anything to tear it down.

 _'I can't die... I won't die no matter what! Not when there are people who trust me and love me!'_ Issei thought to himself in valor as he slowly regained his breath.

"Just give up boy. You fought well, but in the end, it wasn't enough to defeat a Dragon King like me," Tiamat wistfully said as she gazed at the struggling form of Issei.

The more the fight prolonged, the more Tiamat felt close to the brunette in front of her.

At first, when she crashed into the headquarters of the Hero Faction there was nothing on her mind but the revenge she wanted to exact on Ddraig. Her mind was heavily clouded with the dire need for vengeance for the sorrow the Red Dragon had caused her that it refused to see any alternative. But upon meeting the strange brunette, she was currently fighting something unimaginable happened to the Blue King. His words, the words of a young boy who has yet to see the world and gain the wisdom of the elders managed to do what no one else did; he managed to vanquish the cloud of vengeance that surrounded her mind. With his simple words, words that conveyed so much sincerity and careless, he managed to extract the fuel that had kept Tiamat running for years and replace the stained and destructive fuel of vengeance that pumped through her veins into one pure like the day she and Ddraig fell in love with each other yet entirely different. Virginal hope took the place of rotten vengeance and allowed the King to feel as if she was back to the happiest time of her life.

But it wasn't easy for her to know that an entire lifespan of vengeance could've been avoided if she would've just been strong enough to vanquish the vengeance from her system. She felt weak, dishonored, and contrite. Self-loathing was flowing in the depths of her soul, and she wanted nothing but to rid herself of those feelings. When Issei told her his resolution, she knew that if she would kill the boy and exact her vengeance the purpose that guided her through a large part of her life would finally be achieved. She knew that in its wake, the feeling of weakness, dishonor, and contrite would be shadowed by the sense of wholeness and happiness for the achievement of her purpose.

But as she gazed at the dying form of Issei who clung desperately onto his life, refusing to let it go no matter what, she came to a realization that she did not wish for this boy to die. Why should he die? He did nothing to her but host the source of her sorrow, and even that was done without his saying. He did nothing but salvage her from the depths of the darkness that flooded her being. He replaced undying vengeance with a bright hope that he had no intention to break. He was her savior, and yet she wanted to kill him so that she could feel good about herself for a few moments before the same realization she just experienced would dawn on her moments after his death after it's too late.

"Don't fuck with me! I can still fight. Besides, I promised to ease your pain and make things right between you and Ddraig, and there's no way I am giving up now! Especially when we both have so much to live for," His words made Tiamat widen her eyes in admiration before it quickly disappeared in favor of a grin.

'What is he? He doesn't give up even when he's inches from death...'

"Very well then. Come at me with everything you got. This next showdown will signal the end of the fight," Tiamat told him before she started to charge her strongest attack.

"Heh, don't blame me if you wake up tomorrow with sore muscles," He tantalized as he charged his Dragon Shot and poured every ounce of his remaining strength into it.

 _'Ddraig... I know I caused you a lot of sorrow and still am. I never knew the depths of the sorrow that I caused you be it with my title as the Breast Dragon Emperor or my dire struggle to accept the dominating nature that I possessed. But I finally understand now, I understand that domination is something I can not escape from, and I will not allow it to consume me; I will use it to defend those I love as I restore our title as the Dragons of Domination. You were always there for me, you gave me strength when I needed it the most, you encouraged me to continue fighting, and you supported me when my heart had been shattered a second time, and yet I gave you nothing in return. You are not me, and I am not you Ddraig, but you represent a part of my soul that I harshly rejected. But no more, I realized that for every light there is darkness, and I cannot escape the darkness of my soul, my true nature as your host to dominate everyone around me, but I will not cower against it and reject you anymore. No, I will embrace you and will change our nature into one that dominates his enemies and protect his loved ones. We will destroy those who oppose us and those who seek to harm the ones we care deeply about for we are the Dragons of Domination! So please Ddraig... Give me the power to end this fight, give me power so I could finally begin to repay you for everything you did for me by returning the one you love to your side,'_ Issei told his partner as he charged his attack. He knew that he might not survive this showdown and he wanted Ddraig to know exactly how he felt.

 ** _"Cataclysmic Pandemonium!"_**

 ** _[Dragon Shot!]_**

The room shone brightly and everyone held their breath as the beam of highly condensed water surrounded by a heavenly beam that circled the attack collided with a read beam of pure power.

The two mighty attacks fought vigorously for dominance for what seemed like hours. Each attack pushed against the other and Issei's team frowned deeply when they saw the red beam that their teammate had produced begin to be overpowered by his opponent's attack.

"Issei!" They all shouted from the bottom of their lungs in utter desperation, hoping that the brunette would be able to hear their desperate cries.

 ** _[Boost x50]_** When all hope seemed lost it looked as if their prayers had been answered as Ddraig's voice suddenly roared as the last remnants of Issei attack began to regrow and overpower Tiamat's attack.

The Boosted Dragon Shot continued to overpower Tiamat's attack with no effort until the last remnants of the King's attack had vanished and the room had been enveloped in a bright glow once again.

When the light faded and the dust from the debris had settled Issei's team spotted two figures at the center of the room.

"It seems as if I lost," Tiamat weakly said as she held the newly formed hole that now adorned her side.

"It looks like it," Issei said with a weak grin aimed at Tiamat.

"There's something I wish to give you before I fade from this world. I want to give you my powers, the powers of a Dragon King and the embodiment of Chaos,"

"Why... Why would you give me your powers?" Issei asked in bewilderment as he looked at Tiamat with his mouth slightly agape.

"Because, I was never meant to experience happiness in my life, but you were and I want you to preserve the happiness you feel with my powers. I want to know that my powers were used for something far nobler than unnecessary vengeance. This is my parting gift for the two of you," Tiamat replied as her eyes began to close as the last remnants of her life left her.

"No! I will not let you leave! I promised the two of you that I will allow you to be together again and I am not going to break that promise," Issei desperately said as he struggled to find a way to keep his promise.

"Do not fret child; I was never meant to experience happiness. I am a being of chaos, and my death shall serve as karma for the things that my vengeance had caused. May the world hail the new Red Dragon King of Domination,"

Tears sprung to Issei's eyes as Tiamat's finally closed hers. He felt crushed, and hopeless that he failed to keep the promise he made to the two Dragons who deserved to live happily with each other after everything they've been through.

 ** _['It's alright Issei, it's not your fault. I thank you for trying, but it's just not meant to be,']_** Ddraig told his partner in anguish.

'No...' Issei replied to Ddraig as he shook with each sob he released.

But as the brunette sobbed for the loss of Tiamat and the sorrow he felt at failing the two Dragons something suddenly dawned on him and in what seemed like pure instinct he hastily placed his left arm on Tiamat's head as he feared that if he would take too long something bad will happen.

He complied to whatever it was within him and closed his eyes and focus hard on finding the last of Tiamat's life force, and upon finding it he smirked as he realized that there was still hope.

 ** _['Partner? What are you doing?']_ ** Ddraig asked in perplexion.

 _'Just wait and watch you impatient Dragon!'_

Silence enveloped the room as everyone waited to see just what the brunette was planning when all of a sudden a glow of pale blue erupted in the room from one of the jewels of the Boosted Gear.

 ** _[Dragon Booster Third Liberation!]_**

Upon hearing this and seeing the new appearance of Issei's Longinus everyone had their jaws dropped to the floor.

The gauntlet looked to be the same but instead was now reaching up to Issei's shoulder where a new jewel was now resting. Five more spikes were also added to the new part of the gauntlet but the thing that surprised them all was the color changes.

Issei's fingers were no longer red and instead were now pale blue. The jewel on Issei's hand remained the same but the jewel that had been added back from his Second Liberation was now colored pale blue while the newly formed jewel seemed to remain the same for unclear reasons. The fires within the jewels seemed to remain the same but instead of a dim fire, there was now a pale blue fire that surrounded the original one across all jewels.

"Issei?! What the hell happened? Why is the Boosted Gear looks like this?" Bikou, who was the first one to recover from the shock, asked Issei in wonderment as he and the rest continued to gawk at the new form of the Boosted Gear.

"It's hard to explain but I kept my promise," Issei said with a smirk as he stared at his gauntlet.

Yes, by listening to whatever force it was that guided him Issei had managed to keep his promise to the two Dragons. He managed to locate the last of Tiamat's life force and by doing it he was able to absorb her soul into the Boosted Gear before it faded alongside the last of her life force, thus saving the Dragon king from death.

No longer was he Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor. No, now he was something more. He was now Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon King of Domination, the one who will protect his loved ones with every fiber of his being and spread domination and chaos across those who seek to harm him and those around him. He was now whole as he finally accepted the part of his soul that he vehemently rejected.

He kept his promise and had finally begun to repay his partner for everything he did for him. He defied Tiamat's karma and allowed her to experience the happiness she deserved to have. He reunited the two loves and took Tiamat's place as the new Dragon King.

 ** _['May the world cower before the power of the Red Dragon King of Domination']_**

 ** _{'May the world cower before the power of the Red Dragon King of Domination'}_**

Both Ddraig and Tiamat said from their place within the Boosted Gear before they both sincerely thanked Issei for allowing them to be happy again and cut their connection with the brunette so they could make up for the years they spent apart.

And so, this was the day where the two long lost lovers had finally found the happiness they missed so much. And as Issei and the two Dragons will forever rememeber this day as the day where the happiness of the two Dragons had been reborn, the rest of the world will know this day as the day where the Red Dragon King of Domination had been born.


	20. Diabolos

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the twentieth chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who had favorited, followed, and reviewed! I can't believe that this story had already reached it's twentieth chapter and seeing the support it got during its lifespan never cease to amaze me. So I want to thank you all tremendously for all the support you showed to this story!_**

 ** _Now, In this chapter, there will be something that some of you wanted to see for quite some time now and also the debut of the newest two additions to the harem as well as the incorporation of the last_ _member_ _of the original harem into the harem._**

 ** _As always, I remind you that this is an AU so that things will be different from canon in some aspects. I also want to remind you that there will be OOC moments which I attempt to minimize unless they are necessary for the plot of the story._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter! Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking

 _'...'_ Thoughts

 _"..."_ Quotations

 ** _"..."_** Attacks

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear

 ** _{"..."}_** Talking through the Sacred Gear

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind

 _ **{'...'}**_ Talking in the Host mind

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes

* * *

"Ahh, where the hell am I?" Issei tiredly asked as he woke up and started to rub his head.

He looked around and frowned when he did not recognize any of his surroundings except for the walls which were the same as the Hero Faction HQ which made him realize that he was somewhere within the HQ.

 ** _{'Finally you're awake! If I would've known you are that sleepy I never would've agreed to enter the Boosted Gear'}_** A feminine voice within his subconscious had startled Issei.

"Wha-! Who the hell are you?!" He asked in confusion as he struggled to remember why there was now a feminine voice in his subconscious.

 ** _{'I swear man are so dumb! Don't you remember our fight? How you managed to win against me, Tiamat, and extract my soul into the Boosted Gear so I could be with Ddraig?'}_** The voice now known as Tiamat inquired in exasperation.

"Ohh right Tiamat, how are you?"

 ** _{'How are am I? You bastard has been sleeping for a week now! If it wasn't for Ddraig being a gentleman and a good company God knows what I would've done to you!'}_** She threatened which caused Issei to sweat bullets.

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" He pleaded only to become enraged when Tiamat had started to laugh.

 ** _{'Hahaha you should've heard yourself; the mighty Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor, and the new Dragon King begging for his life like a girl,'}_**

"Stupid Dragon I knew I should've let you die instead of helping you..." He grumbled only to gulp when he heard Tiamat's voice booming within his subconscious once again.

 ** _{'What was that boy? I probably misheard you,'}_** She asked sweetly, but Issei was no fool. He knew the meaning behind Tiamat's tone, and he was both grateful and horrified that she was now inside the Boosted Gear as she couldn't kill him as she wanted too. But at the same time, he was terrified as he didn't know what exactly could she do now that she was a part of his soul.

But before Issei could reply to the furious Tiamat a new voice resounded through the room.

"Finally you're awake Ddraig," The girl whose voice belonged to her had emerged out of the shadow of the chamber he was at.

She was just how he remembered her yet there was a difference that he couldn't accurately pinpoint.

She still had the appearance of a cute young girl with long black hair down to her hips, and gray eyes and the typical gothic lolita that she always wore was also unchanged... Yet, there was a change that didn't take Issei more than five seconds to spot.

"Y-Y-Your... Boobs! They're bigger!" Issei exclaimed in awe as he pointed his shaking finger at Ophis new assets.

Instead of her flat-chest Ophis now boobs that Issei found to be similar to Xenovia's in terms of size.

"You mean these? Since our last encounter, I wondered what there was about tits that triggered such response from you, so I thought I'll test it. Interesting, Interesting indeed," Ophis replied as she inspected her naked boobs.

"I really do not understand what is so special about them; they're heavy and always wiggle whenever I move and my back ache ever since I transformed my breasts. Surely such a thing will be a disadvantage in a fight,"

"Wh-What are you talking about?! Those mounds of flesh are the greatest gift God had ever given us!" Issei rebutted while he used his hand to block the nosebleed he had thanks to Ophis examining her boobs.

 ** _['Partner remember your promise! I will not let you fall to that dark side again; you're stronger than this!']_** Ddraig told Issei, his voice cracking as if he was about to cry.

 ** _{'Look what you've done to Ddraig you pervert! I'll get you back for the pain you caused to my love! Shh_ _do not_ _worry Ddraig I'm here now; you won't have to go through this alone anymore,'}_** Tiamat growled at Issei before her voice turned tender as she soothed Ddraig.

Issei had sweatdropped in return before he returned his focus to Ophis.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything but why am I here Ophis?" Issei asked in wonder as he did his best to maintain his gaze on her eyes.

"I wanted to talk about your latest growth," Ophis deadpanned, her demeanor now completely serious.

"You have been asleep for five days already. After your fight with the Blue King, you immediately passed out from the exhaustion and injuries that added to the great strain that was put on your body after absorbing her. What you did was something I never saw with any of the past possessors. It is similar to what you did with Vali's Scale Mail jewel but at the same time it's entirely different since you absorbed an entire being and that being immense power while being in no shape to do so. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Ever since you passed out, I took you here and observed you and studied the change in your aura, and I saw that your power had grown exceptionally,"

"Where are you getting at Ophis...?" Issei interrupted her, his patience running thin as he listened to Ophis long speech.

"You now possess two power sources like Vali and as I told you in our last meeting your potential to develop an evolution to your Longinus was very high and after your fight with the Blue King that potential was finally realized. Your powers combined with the entirety of the Blue King's power and my snakes will give you a very powerful evolution. Perhaps even more powerful than Vali's," Issei mouth was agape as Ophis talked.

When he absorbed Tiamat, he did not think about her powers or the effects it'll have on him. The only thing he wanted at the time was to repay Ddraig and allow him to reunite with his lover. He knew that perhaps he would gain a small portion of her powers as evident by his new Third Liberation but he didn't expect to have possession of her full power and for it to allow him to create the new powerful evolution Ophis mentioned in their last meeting.

"Although your new evolution had been unlocked, you will need to train like Vali in order to have your body get used to the strain it'll put on it so that you won't die after a few seconds. That and also, so you'll be able to maintain it as long as you wish like your Scale Mail," Ophis added.

"I-I see. That's a lot to take, but I think I got it. Thank you Ophis!" Issei thanked Ophis, his voice dripping with gratitude toward the Oroborous Dragon.

She might not realize it, but Ophis had done plenty for Issei in the time they knew each other. She gave him more knowledge about his Longinus and in a way helped to strengthen his relationship with Ddraig. She gave him powers and used her blessing on him. And she also helped Issei to get to know the world more.

True, Issei and Ophis had not spent much time after their last meeting, but in that meeting, Issei had found himself attempting to find meaning in stuff that would be considered nothing but plain.

That was what Ophis gave him. She was a Dragon born from nothingness and Issei wanted to be the one who'll show her everything about the world beyond the void. He didn't know why but whenever he thought about her and how he'll show her the world he felt as if his life were suddenly restarted. Experiencing the world all over again from the most basic of stuff onto the most complex ones, getting excited over stuff that others will just take for granted, and experiencing emotions for the first time. That was how he felt when he thought about it. True, he wasn't the one who would feel those stuff, but there was something about Ophis and seeing her reactions that made him feel as if he was the one who was in her shoes.

Ophis had given Issei the feeling of a fresh start in life even if it wasn't truly the case. She gave him the option to put aside everything that troubled his mind and heart and focus on experiencing the world again as if he was a new person entirely, and she caused him to appreciate things that others, including him, would take for granted and for that, he'll forever be grateful for Ophis.

"I am curious as to how you'll name your new evolution. Ddraig always was the one with more creativity,"

"The Diabolos Dragon King! That's the name of my new evolution!," Issei exclaimed in exuberance as he pointed at himself, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Hmm. I see you didn't disappoint once again Ddraig,"

"Well then. You should go and train for your new evolution. I'm sure Ddraig will tell you the trigger command for it so you should try and enter your evolution for a few seconds every few hours so your body could get a taste of your new powers and adjust accordingly," Ophis advised before she turned and walked into the shadows again.

"Wait, Ophis!" Issei called out to the girl, who stopped walking and turned halfway to Issei so she could gaze at him.

"Yes?"

"W-Why won't you come back with me? I really want to get to know you. Besides, in our last talk, you said you'd spend more time with me so you could get to know more about me and I'm still waiting for that," Issei said with a gentle smile and a slight blush.

"I see. Very well, I shall come with you," Ophis said in her usual emotionless voice as she turned back and started to walk towards Issei.

 _'Humans are indeed very weird,'_

* * *

The minute Issei had stepped back into his room he was immediately tackled to the ground by three people.

"Issei! We were so worried you jerk! Where the hell did you disappear to?" A voice which Issei instantly recognized as Yasaka screeched in anger.

"Yeah, we all feared that you'd kick the bucket early in your fight and after you put our worries to rest you suddenly disappear? Not cool Issei! And here I wanted to reward you for your hard effort in the fight, but I guess you didn't want it," Kuroka teased, her tone sultry which caused everyone but Ophis, who did not know what she meant, to go crimson.

"K-Kuroka!" They all cried in embarrassment while Kuroka laughed at their reaction.

"Haha, that was priceless. I was joking ya know. But I was serious about that reward nyaa," She whispered the last part to Issei, whose blush intensified.

"Whaa Issei I'm so glad you came back! And you also brought a friend with you! Who is she?" Kunou asked childishly upon spotting Ophis after she untangled herself from Issei.

Kunou's remark caused the two girls to untangle themselves from Issei as well and stare at Ophis.

"Who's this Issei? You got sick of us, so you found yourself someone else?" Yasaka asked in exasperation, a scowl on her face.

Kuroka just continued to stare at Ophis in what seemed like a mix between recognition and confusion.

"Who's this Issei? She looks oddly familiar, but there's something about her that makes me unsure," Kuorka quizzingly asked as she struggled to come up with an answer.

"This is Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon," Issei said as he gestured to Ophis, who remained unfazed by the attention she suddenly received.

"Nyaa? Are you sure this is Ophis? Last time I checked Ophis was a loli and now all of a sudden her bust grew to the size of a teen girl?" Kuroka asked in skepticism as she circled Ophis so she could get a better look at her.

"Yeah that's Ophis, Kuroka," Issei sighed as he continued to observe as Kuroka seemed to hear his words yet continue to inspect Ophis.

"Hm... This is Ophis! Why is she with you Issei? Is Gothic the new Neko for you?" Kuroka tease caused Issei's blush to return in full force especially after hearing Yasaka and Kunou's giggling.

"Sh-Shut up!" Issei retorted.

"Hahaha messing with you makes my day everytime Issei. So really now, why is she with ya?" Kuroka asked, dropping all playfulness.

"Apparently I passed out after the fight with Tiamat, and when I woke up, I was in a room with Ophis. She explained to me about things related to the Boosted Gear and the effects of me absorbing Tiamat's soul and power into the Boosted Gear. When I was about to leave I remembered something we both agreed on in our last meeting and reminded her of it which resulted in her coming with me,"

"Is she here to stay or is just a visit then?" Yasaka spoke again for the first time since the scolding she gave Issei.

"She's here to stay. I promised I'll show her the world and everything about it including what it's like to love," Kuroka's jaw dropped upon hearing Issei's determined promise.

"Issei you do realize that Ophis is a being born from nothingness and thus teaching her stuff like love will be next to impossible! Heck, she doesn't even know the difference between genders considering how she used to be an old man," Kuroka told Issei which caused Yasaka and Kunou to widen their eyes at this new information about what seemed like an innocent young girl.

 ** _['Partner she is right you know. Ophis is a being born from nothingness and is a being of infinite power. Teaching her concepts like love will be impossible but if anyone could accomplish that it'll be you considering how you made the impossible possible on more than one occasion during our time together,']_** Ddraig's statement brought a smile to Issei's face knowing how highly his friend thought of him.

 _'_ Thanks _, Ddraig; I really appreciate it!'_

He focused back on Kuroka just as she furrowed her brows after not receiving an answer to her last statement.

"I know Kuroka, but just because she was born in the nothingness doesn't mean she can't learn and feel things like love," Issei replied, his tone oozing with confidence that such a feat could be accomplished.

"I'll believe you Issei, but only because it's you we are talking about,"

"Thanks, Kuroka," Issei replied with a thankful smile aimed at the Nekoshou, who smiled in return.

"Well... Kunou why won't you go and show Ophis your powers as a Youkai? I'm sure she'll love to see it," Yasaka suggested with a blush, surprising everyone in the room but Ophis who seemed indifferent as usual.

"You sure? Don't you think someone like her will be bored with seeing my powers?" Kunou dubiously asked as she narrowed her eyes at her mother, suspicious of hidden motives behind her mother's suggestion.

"Yes, I am sure Kunou! Besides, don't sell yourself short; you are really strong," Yasaka nervously replied, hoping to wave this off before her daughter catches her true motives.

"If you say so, Mom. C'mon, let's go Ophis!" Kunou said in enthusiasm as she gestured to Ophis to come with her.

It wasn't that she did not want to spend time with Ophis rather she was suspicious of the reason why her mother pushed her to do so and why this caused her to blush. She was going to ask Ophis to come with her anyway so they could play if it weren't for her mother's suggestion.

"What was that all about?" Issei asked as he stared at the retreating forms of Kunou and Yasaka only to be met with complete silence by the other two occupants of the room.

He turned around to face them only for blood to burst out of his nose when he saw the heavenly sight of Kuroka and Yasaka hugging each other naked on his bed.

"That is our reward for winning the fight," Both said with a lustful voice as they winked at Issei suggestively.

'I swear if this is the reward I'll get after each fight I'll win then I'll get into ones much more often,' Issei thought to himself before he stripped and jumped into the bed where the three of them would have an hour full of nothing but love, pleasure, and moans.

* * *

After Issei and the girls had finished their encounter, Issei laid there while the girls slept before a thought flashed in his mind.

 _'Vali...'_ He frowned when he saw her in his thoughts. Her silver hair, her light blue eyes, her body, her smile. There wasn't a single feature of the silver-haired girl that his minded seemed to miss, but that wasn't the reason behind Issei's frown.

No, the reason for that is when he remembered that day in the clearing where he and Kuroka had lost their virginity. The tears that flowed freely from her eyes, the sadness and pain that emanated from her and the disappointment that to this day remained unclear to him. He hated being the one who caused Vali to cry more so when it was related to a heartbreak which he knew his fair share of. Issei wasn't dumb; he knew that Vali felt something for him considering how she kissed him that day when he trained with Ddraig after his first talk with Ophis. Issei realized that in a way, what he did to Vali was similar to what Rias and the rest did to him and this was something that made his self-loathing to increase ten folds.

 _'I need to talk to her... I need her to know why we can't be together right now,'_ With that thought in mind Issei untangled himself from the girls, careful not to wake them up, and left the room in search for his silver-haired rival.

* * *

It didn't take Issei more than fifteen minutes to finally find her in the training grounds where she destroyed yet another practice dummy.

"Vali," Issei called out to her, knowing that if he would just sneak up on her, his fate will be that of the practice dummy she just destroyed.

"Issei?!" Vali replied in surprise, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Vali can we talk for a minute?" He asked, his voice showing her that whatever it was then it was serious.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I feel that I owe you some explanations," He told her after he finished walking towards her.

"Ok..." She replied in confusion as a feeling of uneasiness suddenly plagued her.

"I wanted to tell you why I chose to accept Kuroka and Yasaka and not you," Vali frowned upon hearing this and sorrow had flickered through her eyes before she managed to conceal it.

She was about to tell Issei that it was not her business when Issei started to talk again.

"It's not that I don't feel anything for you Vali. In fact, you were the first one I started to have feelings for after I joined the Hero Faction and started my new life and the feelings I have for you are unlike those I have for the rest. Of course, I also love Kuroka and Yasaka otherwise I wouldn't be with them, but my feelings to you are unique because our destiny is connected. You are the White Dragon Emperor, and I am the Red Dragon Emperor. We are rivals, and because of that we have a history together, and we share things that no one else will ever understand which makes me feel really close to you despite you being my rival," Issei told Vali, his voice tender as he spoke.

"Then why? If you feel that way then why don't you want to be with me? You know that I love you and I felt that way for a long time now, and I'll never betray you as that Gremory bitch did. You even accepted Kuroka and Yasaka which means that you healed from the pain she inflicted on you so what is stopping you from accepting me? What is stopping us from finally having OUR happy ending?" She asked, her voice anguished before she broken down and started to sob uncontrollably.

"I know all that Vali, and I did heal enough from what Rias and the rest had done to me thanks to all of you but that isn't what's stopping me from finally accepting your feelings and being with you," He replied. His voice strained as he tried to hide the pain he felt from seeing Vali like that and knowing that he was the cause of it.

"Then what is it?!" She practically screamed at him.

"I can't be with you Vali until I help you heal just like you helped me," His reply caught Vali completely off-guard which caused her to widen her eyes in shock.

But once again, before she could reply Issei had beat her to it.

"I know that you hide something from us Vali. We all saw how different you were when we met with Valerie back in Romania. I don't know what it is, but I know that it pains you greatly..." He had said before Vali interrupted him.

"W-What are you saying?" She asked, her voice sounding as if she was horrified.

"I am saying that the reason I cannot be with you right now Vali is that I can't accept your feelings knowing that whatever it is that cause you to feel pain and horror still exists. I swore to myself that I would help you shoulder that and help you vanquish it, so you will be free from the chains that this thing has you tied in. Only then will we finally get our happy ending Vali. So please, tell me what it is so I could help you," Issei explained, his demeanor serious before it switched to one of desperation as he pleaded Vali to tell him what it is that caused her to be like this so he could help her.

After all, she did the same for him. She shouldered his burden as her own and swore to help him heal and feel loved and she did not give up even after all the hardships she faced. The least he could do for her would be to repay her by helping her the same way so they could get the happy ending that they both wanted.

"I-I can't! I'm so sorry Issei; please understand! Vali begged in panic, hoping that Issei would understand why she can't talk about it.

"I understand Vali, but please try to find it in you to tell me so I could help you. No one should face anything like that alone! How could I call myself your friend and how could I feel worthy of having you if I can't help you deal with the horrors of your past?" Issei asked in sadness as he placed his hand on Vali's cheek while he met her eyes with his gentle gaze.

"You can do this Vali! You are the White Dragon Emperor! You are strong, kind, loving, caring. I have seen you handle things that other people will die from just glancing at them. Even if you think that you aren't strong enough to deal with it, which I highly doubt, then tell me! Share it with me so I can give you my strength so we could face it together!" Issei reassured Vali, his tone showing the absolute seriousness behind Issei's words.

"I-I'll tell you Issei, but only the things that I can deal with talking about," Vali replied with a smile of pure gratitude for what Issei had done to her in just the short time that they have been conversing.

Not only did he give her an explanation why he can't be with her, an explanation that put many of her doubts to rest and most of her pain to numb, he also helped her make the first steps in dealing with her past while also showing her that she isn't alone in this. With him, at her side, she felt like she could conquer the world and vanquish all her worst fears and any remnants of the horrors of her past.

And so, Vali had started to tell Issei about her past while telling him whenever she skipped something because she couldn't handle talking about it. She owed him that much seeing how he was dead set on helping her and leaving information from him would only make her feel guilty.

 _'Thank you, Issei'_

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile at another location...)_**

It was dark outside when a girl with a silver-white hair had sat down on her bed after another tiring day.

 _'Issei...'_ Her thoughts went back to the brunette who captured her heart.

Her thoughts took her to their last meeting where their relationship was still nothing but professional. She couldn't afford to have a different kind of relationship with him even if she wanted to as such thing was forbidden and would lead to her being fired from her job.

But then, when her friends returned from their trip to Kyoto without the brunette something suddenly snapped in her. What she considered as friendly feelings were suddenly realized as something far from that. She realized the truth behind her emotions and the reason why he was the subject of her thought most of the day when he and the rest were gone to Kyoto.

She understood now that he was irreplaceable as he was one of a kind. She was sure that no man would match him in his kindness, his strength, his caring, and love. He was the only one who would not judge or make fun of her, he was the one who she knew would protect her no matter what, and he was the one who'll care for her unconditionally.

That was just how he was, and that is why she loved him as she did.

But she discerned all of it too late when he already left.

She reminisced about how devastated she was when she first heard about what happened to him as she feared that she lost him forever. But when she learned that he's alive she felt relieved although not for long as worry took its place when she heard how different he was. She knew why; they also told her what happened prior to him leaving and that is why she acted so cold towards everyone for such a long time. He was broken, and she wanted nothing more than fixing him. Eventually, this desire of her changed when she learned of how he seemed to be better and instead she wanted just to show him how much she loved him. She wanted to finally know how it felt to be loved and cared by someone. She wanted to know how it felt not being alone. But for achieving all of that she had to find where Issei was so she could reunite with him and show him how much she loves him by staying by his side even if means going against her friends.

 _'I'll never have a boyfriend...'_ She thought in bitterness.

 _'... Not until I'll find Issei,'_ Her mood seemed to brighten when she thought of the one she loved being her boyfriend.

* * *

 ** _(At the same time in another location...)_**

A brunette girl walked in the dim, wide halls of what seemed like a mansion.

She gazed at the sky outside from one of the many windows that were present in the hall and saw the gloomy sky in their full glory.

The brunette continued to stare intently at the sky that reflected on her purple eyes while her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

 _'Issei Hyoudou... You sure are a fascinating young boy. Whenever I think about you, my body feels hot, and my heart flutters when I recall the things my daughter and her peerage had told me about you. Such kindness, such bravery, all in a shell of a handsome young boy with powers that can spell the end even for God himself if only he were alive. If only I could live a free life that is full of love and happiness. Instead, I have an unhappy life while in a loveless marriage with a husband that abuse me and only treats me as a tool and a symbol when he doesn't put the facade of a loving husband like he always does in public. The only comfort in my life that brings a tiny fraction of happiness to my heart are my kids who I love dearly...'_ A tear rolled down her cheeks as thoughts about her unhappy life and loveless marriage passed through her mind.

 _'But no more! For years I wanted to run so I could get a fresh start but I never had the courage. Sometimes it was my own inability to go through with that and sometimes it was the worry about my kids. But now, they are older and able to defend themselves against any injustice that comes their way so the chains that bound me are finally free and the courage to go through with that is now gushing vigorously in me. I will not make the same mistakes my daughter had done. I will not get jealous when I see him with his other women, I will not let negative thoughts haunt me, and I will not doubt the love we will feel for each other. Yet, I am not naive; I know that he will not love me the second I appear in front of him, but I shall do everything in my strength to make it, so his heart will find a place for me. I'll shower him with adoration and show him the admiration I have for him,'_ She wiped the stray tear that slipped past her walls and smiled before she retreated from the window and continued her walk toward her soon-to-be old room.

 _'So please, wait for me Issei Hyoudou. Wait for me because I want to spend the rest of my long life with you! For I see no other man that will ever come to be even a fraction of you. For I see no man that I will ever come to admire and love as I do you,'_


	21. Evil Dragons

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the twentieth one chapter of "Switching Sides."_**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who had Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _This chapter will focus not only on Issei and his training but also on many other characters in the story that some has waited to see again as well as new characters that will play a part in this story later on. Also, the newest two harem members will be revealed in this chapter as well._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking.

 _'...'_ Thoughts.

 _"..."_ Quotations.

 ** _"..."_** Attacks.

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing.

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips.

 _ **["..."]**_ Talking through the Sacred Gear.

 ** _{"..."}_** Talking through the Sacred Gear.

 _ **['...']**_ Talking in the Host mind.

 _ **{'...'}**_ Talking in the Host mind.

 ** _[...]_ ** Sacred Gear Actions and modes.

* * *

Four weeks have passed since the brunette Dragon Emperor had talked with Ophis, the Oroborus Dragon, about his potential to acquire a new evolution to his Sacred Gear.

At first, Issei had found himself completely dumbfounded as to where exactly should he begin in order for him to achieve his new evolution. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the brunette had both Tiamat and Ddraig volunteering to help him. He appreciated their help greatly, but it wasn't rare when he cursed their existence and regretted allowing them to be involved in his training when they proved to be very callous in their training regime for him.

During the day the two Dragons commanded Issei to train vigorously with the promise of an eternity of misery should he take an unnecessary break or slack off in his training.

Those threats were the primary cause of Issei's dread and confusion as he knew the Dragons would make through with their threats but at the same time found himself very confused.

He and Ddraig were partners for quite some time now and never in this time did he remember Ddraig making such threats and the fact that he did so now caused him to be dumbfounded.

With each time Issei's mind wandered towards this problem during his training the more, he realized that the change of behavior in his partner suddenly happened after Tiamat had been absorbed into the Boosted Gear.

 _'Stupid corrupting Dragon...'_ He swore bitterly with each new threat that the two Dragons threw at him, knowing that the two cannot hear his thoughts unless he allowed them too.

That was also a part that Issei took pride on as during his training he had found a way to take the control Ddraig and Tiamat had of their connection to him for himself which allowed him to block them off from speaking with him and reading his thoughts whenever he willed it.

And when the training during the day ended and night had come his body would get the rest it deserved from the rough treatment it went through. But his mind did not get the same luxury as the minute his eyes closed they would open again a second afterward only to be greeted with the sight of the towering forms of the two Dragons that inhabit his Sacred Gear and soul.

Unlike the training during the day where Issei would mainly focus on his body physique as to increase the strain that his body can work under so it could maintain his new transformation for a long period. One of the welcoming side-effects - unlike the soreness of his body that followed him even when he woke up the morning after - was the involuntary increase in the time Issei can maintain his Balance Breaker.

This was a welcomed change for Issei, who did not know about the training's effects on his already existing powers, as now the time he can maintain his Scale Mail exceeded an impressive time of three days.

Ddraig and Tiamat had also reminded him about the transformation he went through the night he ejected his Evil Pieces and turned into a fully-pledged Dragon. They reminded him of the existence of his hardened skin and enhanced senses which caused him to face fault as he looked back at all the times he could've used those things in his advantages but did not as it completely slipped out of his mind.

But before his excitement could get the better of him the two Dragons had reminded him of the downsides of his transformation with the prime example being his increased vulnerability to any Dragon Slaying weapons. Although it seemed like luck was on Issei's side as the most powerful of Dragon Slaying weapons, the Ascalon Blade, was in his possession, so that was one less thing that troubled the brunette's mind.

Another issue that weighed on Issei's mind also concerned something that Ddraig and Tiamat had explained to him regarding his transformation. Apparently due to his transformation into a Dragon by Ddraig Issei was supposed to receive some of Ddraig's traits alongside his affinity but for some reason up until this point, he received none whatsoever.

From what Ddraig told him he should've received his fire affinity that would enable him to use the same infamous fire that was said to give Ddraig the ability to decimate everything in its path including Gods.

Both Issei and Ddraig spent hours trying to figure out the reason behind Issei's inability to use his affinity like he was supposed to, but they never reached a definite conclusion... At least until Tiamat had awakened from her sleep.

 ** _{'I swear you two are the epitome of men's stupidity. If you would've looked further like you should've done, you would realize that Issei does have your affinity Ddraig, but due to the power behind your flames, the Boosted Gear had locked his affinity until he can reach a stage where the flames won't overwhelm him. My best guess is that with your newest evolution you will also gain access to Ddraig's affinity.}_** Tiamat informed them in irritation.

The two just stayed silent, unable to retort as Tiamat had managed to solve the same problem that weighed on their mind for hours in a matter of few seconds.

With that problem settled Issei had resumed his training with newfound vigor as he found yet another reason for him to push towards achieving his newest evolution.

* * *

When Issei finished his training four weeks after his talk with Ophis he wanted nothing more than to return to his room and sleep for days as to compensate for the time he spent training with Ddraig and Tiamat when he should've slept peacefully instead.

After two days of sleeping Issei woke up and almost fainted from the sight before him as he saw both Kuroka and Yasaka lying naked on the bed on each side of his as both his hands were stuck between their breasts while their heads rested on his shoulders.

Issei wasn't the same pervert he was anymore as his libido had decreased ever since it first got satisfied when he lost his virginity to Kuroka. But after four weeks of nothing but intense training where he didn't even see the girls at all for the duration of it as he was forced to sleep at the training grounds by Tiamat and Ddraig. The only girl he did see during his training was Ophis as the girl became attached to him and spent most of her time with him. By the end of the training Issei could proudly say that he felt as if he and Ophis were good friends. But that wasn't the same thing as Kuroka and Yasaka so when he woke up in the way he did that day with the two girls on each side of him was something that overwhelmed Issei a bit although he managed to recover quickly.

Releasing a relieved sigh when the girls did not wake up because of him he settled to just looked at the two as they continued to sleep peacefully. The longer he took their sight; the more his heart swelled knowing that the two loved him unconditionally while he loved them the same in return. He felt content to just stay like that for the rest of his life. His mind felt clearer, and his heart lighter like they never were as thoughts of the future that await them coursed through his mind.

A large cabin in a remote location surrounded by nothing but forests for the eye to see where none could interfere with their lives. A place where they could train their children peacefully and not worry about their safety. A place isolated from all the corruption of the world around them, so their kids will get the childhood they deserve and walk their own path without being forcefully strayed by outside influences.

Those were the things Issei yearned for his future to be; surrounded by those he loves the most with the fruits of their love carelessly running around their house as their soft laughter resounds through the house.

Sadly, all things come to an end, and Issei's dream was the same as it came to a sudden halt when he felt something stir. Looking at where he felt the stir coming from he saw Kuroka beginning to wake up, her eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light in the room. Issei deviously smiled as he realized that Kuroka has yet to notice him. Deciding to begin his payback for all the teasing he endured from her Issei squeezed her rear causing her to yelp in surprise as her eyes frantically searched around before they landed on the smirking face of Issei.

She crossed her hands and pouted as she realized what exactly happened.

"Don't get too excited nyaa that was just a lucky shot,"

"I wouldn't dream of it. Be wary though as this is just the beginning of my payback for all your teasing," He taunted.

She smirked and leaned forward to whisper in his ear in a sultry tone. "Nyaa? And how will you punish your naughty little kitten?"

Issei blushed, but he refused to lose against Kuroka. "I thought of a few ways to punish you and they all end with you screaming," Now it was Kuroka's turn to slightly blush.

Kuroka opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly closed it back and held it with her hands as if to hold something back.

Seeing Kuroka's unusual behavior, Issei became worried. "Kuroka is something wrong?"

The Nekoshou did not answer him, not even nodding before she bolted out of bed into the toilet where vomiting could be heard clearly.

Issei wasted no time being stuck in his shock and quickly followed Kuroka into the toilet and held her hair as she continued to vomit.

When the vomiting stopped, and Kuroka had freshened up Issei immediately voiced his concern.

"Kuroka are you alright? What was that? Did you get sick during my time away or something?" He asked, his voice laced with the worry he had for the Nekoshou.

She flashed him a weak smile. "I'm fine don't worry about it. It's been going on for a few days now, but it'll pass soon,"

"If you're not sick then what is it that causes you to vomit?" His question made Kuroka freeze in panic as her mind began to search for an answer frantically.

What should she tell him? She already told him that she is fine so she can't say that she is sick. Refuting her own words will only make Issei suspicious, and she did not want him to push the subject further; she was not ready for that yet. Should she tell him the... Truth? No, she can't tell him the truth, if she did then who knows how he will react? It has been her dream for as long as she remembers and having it come true with the man she loved more than anything made her often doubt the reality behind it. But even if she doubted it she knew that it was as real as it could get and she was ecstatic about it as anyone in her position will be. But then she thought of Issei, and her elation had substantially subsided as doubt and worry began to rise. Will he accept them? Will he be as happy as she is? Or will he get upset at her and push her away? She knew Issei would never do something like that, but her mind couldn't help but taunt her with those possibilities as it conjured every possible scenario in great detail. Whenever she thought of a plan to tell him about it when he came back from his training, she always found herself getting cold feet, but each time she comforted herself with the fact that she had more time to steel herself before he came back. But now, here he was, back from his training looking at her worryingly after he witnessed her vomiting. The time she told herself she had suddenly ended, and now she faced the thing she dreaded the most, and it was still early for her. Too early; she wasn't ready to tell him, she wasn't ready to face his reaction.

"D-Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll pass in a few days, so nothing to be worried about," She nervously told him, hoping he'll buy her answer.

Issei held his gaze on her for a few more seconds as he searched for any hint of deceit and upon finding none, he relaxed and flashed Kuroka a smile.

"If that's what you say then I believe you," He told her before he entered the shower to get ready for the day.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, Kuroka sighed in relief as she released the breath she was holding.

 _'Thank God he remained dense,'_ She thought to herself.

"You know you'll have to tell him eventually don't you?" A new voice spoke which caused Kuroka to snap her head towards its direction to see a smiling Yasaka looking at her.

"Y-You know?" She hesitantly asked with a shaky voice.

"Of course I know; you are my best friend. Did you really think I would not notice your behavior? Besides, did you forget that I am a Youkai? I can sense what is wrong with you and it's pretty hard to miss something like that," Yasaka informed her.

Kuroka widened her eyes but quickly relaxed as she saw no harm in her best friend knowing of her predicament.

"I am glad that it's you who figured it out and not anyone else," She flashed the Youkai Kyuubi a smile.

"I won't force you to tell him until you're ready but you need to steel yourself and do it. Issei is a kind man, and he does not deserve for this information to be kept hidden from him,"

"I-I know, but I am just so scared I don't know what'll happen once I tell him,"

"No one but Issei himself can know that, but you should not be afraid. When I see the way Issei gaze at us, I see nothing but pure adoration in his eyes, and I am sure that your news will not change that. If I dare say, it will only intensify it," Yasaka reassured her.

"I guess you're right. I'll tell him as soon as I think I'm ready!" Kuroka uttered, her mind made up.

Their conversation died down once the noise of the shower had faded and the door opened to reveal Issei with his clothes on him.

"Nyaa Issei why did you dressed in the shower?" Kuroka pouted.

Yasaka smirked. "Yes Issei why did you? Perhaps are you trying to hide something?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps I just didn't want you to pounce on me the second I came out of the shower," He teased with a grin.

After the trio had finished their banter, it was Yasaka's turn to enter the shower and prepare for the day.

"Okay let's go meet everyone! I missed them during my training," Issei voiced once Yasaka emerged from the bathroom before they all went to the main hall where they assumed everyone would be.

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile At Another Location...)_**

"Did you accomplish your task?" A masculine voice asked. His tone one of regality.

"Yes, although I am surprised at how well your plan has worked. I expected some interferences, but there was none whatsoever," Another voice answered.

"You dare to doubt your master?" The owner of the regal voice bellowed, his tone taking an angry edge instead of the regality that accompanied it mere seconds ago.

"I-I..." The owner of the second voice stuttered in panic.

"Hahaha, you should've seen your face. That was priceless," Heavy laughter echoed throughout the room as the form of the owner of the first voice shook with each laughter.

The owner of the second voice sweatdropped at the antics of his superior while cursing himself for falling for it again.

"With all due respect shall we return to the subject at hand?" The laughter of the owner of the first voice begun to die down upon hearing his inferior's inquiry slowly.

"Yes Yes we should return to that now, I just couldn't resist doing that again," He said with a dismissing wave of his hand.

"Well, just like you said the security around the Heaven was pretty lax due to the focused search of the Red and White Dragon Emperors by the three factions and the security of several high-valued places in the case of an attack by the two Emperors. As your Intel has mentioned, it appeared that along the fruit of knowledge and life two out of the three parts of the Holy Grail sub-species were being experimented on at the Fifth Heaven. As the notes suggested the reason behind the experiments were to determine how such a relic has been split across three identical parts instead of remaining in its original form. Apparently, the two parts of the Holy Grail were retrieved from the Valerie girl I sent my team to capture before she came upon the knowledge of her Sacred Gear being a sub-species that divided the Holy Relic into three parts. That is why no attempt to retrieve it were ever made as their absence was unnoticed," He informed his superior.

"I see. I have nothing else but say a good job... Cao Cao. You truly impressed me with the smooth retrieval of both the two parts of the Holy Grail and the fruit of knowledge and life,"

"I am flattered... Rizevim, but don't forget that even though you are my superior, it is only because I cannot defeat someone at your caliber. Yet, I was not called _"The Strongest Human"_ for no reason, and the only people who I will admit that can challenge my abilities are the two Dragon Emperors and you," Cao Cao reminded him, his tone impassive.

"Very true and I am glad that you remember that fact because I am sure you wouldn't want to be reminded by me again am I right? Although I did enjoy it greatly, I dare to say that my methods are quite... Brutal for the weak ones," Rizevim spoke with a gleeful smile on his face.

Cao Cao couldn't help but shudder from the memories of his last fight with Rizevim. Memories he would do everything to lock away and never remember again.

"So what exactly are we going to do now Rizevim? We are still missing one part of the Holy Grail," The Heavenly Emperor reminded his colleague.

"That is correct, but I have already found a way to rid us of this obstacle. You see, it is possible to compensate for the lack of the third part of the Grail by replacing it with something of an equal or even greater amount of Holy power. By using your Longinus, which is said to be the strongest of all and the holiest out of the three Holy Relics, we can pour enough Holy power to compensate for the lack of the third part as well as assuring our chances in completing our task. By forcing the spear into submitting to the will of their wielder for just this instance which will make the spear to act more like the Holy Grail instead of just a pure source of power," Rizevim informed the now stunned Cao Cao.

 _'Just how smart is he? Hm... It could prove to be very troublesome in the future. I shall be wary of him and his plans for me,'_ Cao Cao thought to himself as he got over the shock and narrowed his eyes at Rizevim.

"Mark this day Cao Cao for today is the day that rebirth shall begin. Today is the day that the Evil Dragons shall open their eyes once again," Rizevim announced with pride and anticipation oozing from his voice.

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile with the ORC...)_**

It was a peaceful evening that greeted Kuoh town. The streets were beginning to empty out from the citizens that graced it. The only sound to be heard was the rustling of the trees by the wind and the occasional chirping of a bird.

Rias greeted her peerage with a smile as she entered the room. "I'm glad you could all make it today. Let's begin with why I called you all here,"

"Shouldn't we wait for Rossweisse to arrive before we begin?" Xenovia's question caused everyone to notice that the Valkyrie was indeed missing which caused them to become confused.

Rias frowned. "I haven't told Rossweisse to come because this meeting is actually about her," She told them, causing their confusion to increase.

The red-head sighed and waited for Akeno to finish serving everyone tea before she began with the meeting.

"The reason why I called you all here concerns Rossweisse and the odd behavior she had displayed for the past four weeks. I am sure that I am not the only one who has noticed how withdrawn and detached she has become in the past four weeks and I am starting to get very worried about her. I am clueless as to what caused her to behave that way but I am determined to find out and help her, and I am sure you all feel the same right, my dear little servants?" Rias asked, already knowing the answer.

When everyone vigorously nodded in agreement, she allowed a gentle smile to grace her features before she continued.

"I'm sure it won't be easy, but we shall do everything in our power to make sure Rossweisse will snap out of it and return to how she used to be. For now, we should focus on getting her out of her room more often and make her socialize. We should also try and get her to talk more especially on her feelings so we could begin to know what might be the problem," She finished and watched as her peerage wore expressions full of determination to help their friend.

"Perhaps it is something related to her home? Perhaps something happened to her brother or Lord Odin?" Kiba asked in contemplation.

"I'm afraid it's not the case Kiba. I already talked with Lord Odin, and he assured me that everything is fine with him and Rossweisse's brother so whatever it is that caused her to become like this has nothing to do with her house," Rias informed him.

"For now we should all return home and think about it and try to come up with the reason for Rossweisse's behavior as well as think of the part each of us will play in helping her," The Crimson King told them before they all nodded and left the room.

 _'If only you were here Issei... I am sure you could have already fixed whatever it is that caused Rossweisse to be like this. That's just how you are'_ Rias dejectedly thought as she left the room.

* * *

 _ **(Meanwhile in the Underworld...)**_

"Is there a reason why you are here father?" Sirzechs Lucifer asked his father as he looked up from his paperwork.

It wasn't like he was unhappy to see his father but for him to come here unannounced was something that never happened unless he had a reason before coming to his office and he already knew that the reason wouldn't be something he looked forward to.

His father just gave him a look before he sighed. "It's about your mother. She has been acting very strange for four weeks now, and I do not know what brought for this sudden change in her behavior,"

Sirzechs frowned as he listened to his father. As much as he was happy to decline it, the red-head Demon Lord wasn't in the dark about the true nature of his parent's marriage as they thought he was. He supposed no one but him, and Grayfia really knew about that, and he was determined to spare his sister this knowledge as much as he could. For his dear little sister to know that the marriage of their parents is nothing but a facade made to cover the fact that their marriage is loveless and unhappy would crush her. He guessed that his parents wanted to spare Rias and him from knowing how their parents didn't really hold any love for each other so they wouldn't get the wrong idea about marriage. But Sirzechs always was more observant than most people, and he already deduced the truth a few years ago after witnessing many occasions that pointed him towards that conclusion.

"I see. What do you intend to do about that?" He coolly asked his father.

"For now nothing. I shall continue to observe your mother and hope that she would compose herself or I shall be forced to act," His father told him, his tone cold as he spoke of his wife.

It was things like that which made Sirzechs reach the conclusion he had about his parent's marriage. The coldness in their voice when they spoke to each other, the way his mother never showed affection to his father in public as she continued to refer to him by his title as the Lord of the Gremory house with or without people around. The way his mother would always frown after she finished talking with his father and the way her smiles were always fake with the exception of it when she was around him and Rias.

But Sirzechs knew that as much as he wanted things between his parents to change it just wasn't possible as the very foundations of their marriage caused this to happen.

In order to ensure the continuation of pure-blooded Devils among the 72 Pillars his grandfathers from both sides agreed to wed their children to each other. They didn't even give them time to get to know each other and come to love one another naturally. They just gathered them and dropped the bomb on them one day before they left them to their own devices with the knowledge that they, two strangers, had to marry.

He wasn't supposed to know that. But due to him being a Demon Lord Sirzechs was privy to all the information that concerned the Underworld and as he searched through the records of his family that was supposed to be restricted to only his father, he came upon the information of how the marriage of his parents came to be.

Sirzechs was very unhappy upon finding this information, and he wanted to storm off and confront his parents, but after he had composed himself, he realized that as unhappy as he was about it the decision his grandfathers made at the time was the best one. Being a Demon Lord forced Sirzechs to look at it from the perspective of one instead of the perspective of being their child, and he realized that what they did was to the best of his kind. Besides, his father would be livid if he knew that he looked through those records and despite being who he was no child wanted to face the wrath of their parents.

So, after telling Grayfia and consulting her on what to do, Sirzechs decided to keep silent about it much to his chagrin and hope that perhaps someday his parents will make efforts to remedy the mistakes of the past and start fresh so their marriage could become one of love and happiness.

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile at the Heaven)_**

"Are you certain about it?" Michael asked the lesser angel who gave him the message he currently finished reading.

"Yes, Lord Michael. It seems that whoever did it had full knowledge of the state of security around here and the fact that you weren't present,"

"I see. Thank you for delivering this message. You may go now," Michael dismissed the lesser angel with a smile before the latter bowed and left the room.

"I am curious to hear your opinions on this matter my friends," Michael addressed the other occupants of the room.

"We should wait until we gather more clues so we could determine who did this and go after him" Raphael suggested calmly.

"Why waste time on such trivial matters? It probably was the Red Dragon Emperor and his little band of misfits. I told you we shouldn't have trusted him back then Michael and now you see I was right," Uriel rebutted in indignation.

"Forgiveness is the key to everything my lord. Despite his title, the Red Dragon Emperor is a human and such he is capable of making mistakes. It is the question of if we should look past those mistakes and allow him a chance to explain himself and receive forgiveness or not. I do not think that he had stolen the relics. In fact, I am certain that a larger force is at play here, but if he had stolen it, I would allow him to explain his actions and grant him forgiveness and lead him towards the right path as it is our job," Gabriel spoke in her melodious voice.

"Thank you, everyone. For now, we should gather more clues like Raphael had suggested and in the case that it is indeed Issei who had committed this crime we should provide him the chance to explain his actions and should we deem the answer worthy of granting him forgiveness. I have met Issei during the first meeting between the three factions in the two of Kuoh and what I saw there was a child who wished to do everything to protect those who are close to him. His nature might be slightly wicked due to his lecherous behavior, but at his core, he is nothing but pure. But due to what happened to him recently I dare say that now Issei is nothing but a man who lost everything, and it is our job to restore him to how he used to be and aim him to the right path as Gabriel also said. I shall go to the Underworld and require a meeting of the three factions again to discuss the latest developments and inform them of our decision," Michael informed his fellow Seraphs of his decision.

The three Seraphs nodded in acceptance before they got up from their chairs and moved to leave the room.

Meanwhile, Michael had stayed behind to think of everything that happened.

 _'Issei... I do not know if it is indeed you who had done this but I hope not for those actions would only lead to war and destruction if my assumptions on why you stole those relics is correct,'_


	22. Qlippoth

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the twentieth-two chapter of "Switching Sides.". I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _I want to apologize for the time it took me to update, but I was pretty busy and unfortunately I will continue to be busy so updates will not be so quick. Rest assured, I will not abandon this fic but be aware that it might take me a few months to update but the slow updates do not mean that the story is dead._**

 ** _Now, as always I want to remind you to keep your reviews civilized and also that this story is an AU and some characters are OOC. In this chapter especially there will be an AU variation of a canon powerup that you'll see later in the chapter._**

 ** _I used some parts of the LN here but changed it to fit the story. Regardless, I want to exclaim that I do not own Highschool DxD nor the fantastic fan-translation made by the talented people in Baka-Tsuki that I used in this chapter._**

 ** _Also, for all of you who are fans of Naruto, and Harry Potter, I am happy to announce that I am working on fics for these fandoms so if you are a fan then look out for them in the upcoming future._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking.

 _'...'_ Thoughts.

 _"..."_ Quotations.

 ** _"..."_** Attacks.

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing.

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips.

 _ **["..."]**_ / ** _{"..."}_** Talking through the Sacred Gear.

 _ **['...']**_ / _**{'...'}**_ Talking in the Host mind.

 ** _[...]_ / **_**{...}**_ Sacred Gear Actions and modes.

 **"..."** Sacred Gear evolution trigger i.e., Juggernaut Drive chant.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed around the dimly-lit, spacious halls as Rizevim Lucifer walked towards his destination.

His thoughts occupied by the things that will be discussed in the meeting he is heading to. He stopped as he faced a set of imposing double doors that were decorated in a grandiose manner.

"It's time," He spoke to himself before he pushed the two doors open and entered the room where he saw two figures who seemed to be engrossed in their conversation that they did not notice the opening of the doors.

The two figures abruptly stopped their heated discussion as they heard the sound of his shoes patting the marble floor.

"Ah, good. It seems you have finally arrived Rizevim," One of the figures noted as he turned to face the son of the Morning Star.

Rizevim scowled at the figure before he spoke. "Save me your attempts at mannerism Hades and let us discuss our plans,".

Hades replied, his voice void of the earlier cheerfulness it held. "Very well. Rizevim, Cao Cao, let us discuss the progress of our plans," He looked at the two occupants of the room before lowering his gaze on the table that stood in the middle of the room.

Rizevim cleared his throat before he addressed his colleagues. "My friends, I am pleased to inform you that our plans recently took a great step toward our goal. As of last night, the legendary Evil Dragons has been revived using the two pieces of the Holy Grail we had managed to retrieve and the spear of Saint Longinus that is in Cao Cao's possession. However, our accomplishments do not lay solely on the two Longinuses but also with a group of Vampires from the Tepes Clan that realized the error of their pure-blooded principals and sought to gain the power to fight. We gave them that power, but with a little twist, we turned them into the Evil Dragons we sought to revive thanks to my experiments. Now, with the might of the Evil Dragons combined with our own our goal of defeating Great Red, the current protector of the Dimensional Gap, and invade another world,".

Hades scowled after hearing Rizevim's speech before he spoke up as well. "Do not forget Rizevim about the contributions I had given our cause. If it wasn't for my little "gift" the next part of the plan would surely fail,".

Rizevim gave Hades a sick grin before he spoke with a fruity voice. "Ah! Your gift! How could I forget it? Of course, of course, your gift was most appreciated..." His eyes narrowed, and his voice turned cold as he continued "But do not forget your place Hades or I will be forced to remind me and I can assure you that God of the Dead or not you would regret your actions after I'm done with you. You can ask Cao Cao if you find it hard to believe my words," He looked at the now squirming Cao Cao.

The Skeleton God recoiled slightly from the threat before he threatened dangerously. "You may be commanding me now but the moment you will perish I will make sure your afterlife will be even worse than the Hell that the old tales describe,".

The son of Lucifer only laughed merrily in return showing Hades that his threat did not work on him.

After Rizevim's laughter died down the room descended into an awkward silence that was broken by Cao Cao.

"So... What is our next step?" He questioned his colleagues.

Rizevim smirked before he explained. "That, my dear colleague, will be something that I am sure will give you great satisfaction. After all, it involves your old Faction. You see, we are going to eliminate any possible threat there and capture little ol' Ophis. It amazes me that she seemed never to notice the powers you slowly stole from her or perhaps she did but chose to ignore it? Regardless, the next part of our plans relies on her. We are going to use one of our pals Shalba Beelzebub to kidnap Ophis which will allow us to move once again a step closer to our ultimate goal,".

Cao Cao looked at Rizevim in confusion and asked."Why do we need to capture Ophis? Wasn't the power I provided enough to complete whatever it is we need it for?".

"That is a secret Cao Cao but I will tell you that we will be using Ophis to create something grand which is why the option of failure does not exist in this mission," Rizevim informed the True Longinus wielder.

"I have already spoken to Shalba prior to this meeting and told him of our plan. As you can guess he happily agreed only if for his cruelty that made its signs when I told him about neutralizing any threats. He is already ready and is currently on standby as he waits for the designated time we set for the mission which is a few hours from now. Let us part ways now my colleagues until the next time we shall gather here together when the mission is done," Rizevim told everyone before he turned around and proceeded to walk out of the room with the other two silently following.

 _'Tomorrow... Tommorrow Quilpoth will rise from hiding and will strike the world like never before,'_ The Son of Lucifer thought as he pushed the set of double doors open, a sick grin on his face.

* * *

Issei groaned tiredly as the brilliant rays of the sun invaded his room and interrupted his much-needed sleep. Not wanting to wake up the brunette huffed before he turned his back towards the window hoping that it'll be enough to block the sun.

As if mocking him the heavenly glow of the sun only seemed to increase after that action which caused Issei to moan before he opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep from them. He tried to sit on the bed only to feel something weighing him down. Issei smiled when he saw the beautiful faces of his two lovers as they continued to sleep without a worry in the world. He shook his head knowing how much of heavy sleepers the two are to the point that even the sun in its full might could not cause them to stir even in the slightest. He tenderly moved the appendages that blocked him and sat down on the bed.

He looked at nothing as the events of last night ran through his mind. His reunion with his friends after not seeing them for four weeks has been fun, to say the least. They shared tales about what they did during the four weeks. They bantered with one another about their plights with most of the fire going in Issei's direction as Bikou tightly held his hurting stomach while he struggled to contain his laughter while even the stoic Arthur allowed a few quiet laughs to escape his mask of indifference.

When Issei had enough of his friends he left the table and went towards Le Fay and Vali who seemed to be engaged in a passionate discussion with Ophis. He smiled brightly at this seeing that Ophis began to open up and experience the world like he wanted her too. Sure, she still has a long way to go but he was happy to see the start of it.

During the four weeks, he spent training he and Ophis bonded a lot to the point he considered them good friends and seeing that the eyes of his recently-made good friend no longer seemed dead and full of nothing filled him with happiness. He owed Ophis more than she will ever know and it was that why he took it upon himself to make sure Ophis's existence will no longer be dull. He was certain that by the time he'll be done Ophis will no longer wish to return to the Dimensional Gap to live in eternal solitude.

His gaze lingered on the three before he changes his destination as he approached Kuroka, Yasaka, and Kunou who he sat with for the remainder of the evening as they talked with each other.

The brunette emperor was snapped out of his reminiscent when he felt his two girlfriends beginning to stir.

"Good morning sleeping beauties," He teased as the two rubbed their eyes and joined him in sitting down on the bed.

He was met with a playful punch to the shoulder by Kuroka and a finger flick to his forehead by Yasaka.

"Oww! What was that for?" He faked hurt as he addressed his two lovers.

"Perhaps if you would've kissed us awake your sleeping beauties will not be so grumpy," Yasaka told him in amusement as she held her hand to her mouth to hold back her laughter.

Kuroka pouted as she spoke seductively. "Nyaa only kissing? I wouldn't have minded a more passionate wake-up call by our prince charming here,"

Issei blushed heavily from Kuroka's not so gentle suggestion before he composed himself and returned her gesture. "I did not know you were into that stuff Kuroka. Well, you learn new things every day I suppose,"

Kuroka's cheeks tinted red, and she was about to retort when all of a sudden her hands shot up to her mouth and she bolted to the bathroom where she barfed.

The brunette began to worry as it seems that whatever made Kuroka queasy did not seem to disappear. Sure, it has only been a day since he returned and Kuroka herself said that it would probably be gone after a few days, but there was something... Off. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what that was, but the best he could describe was as if something within him told him to not shrug it off as a minor sickness that would pass in a few days.

It was only a few minutes later that the sound of Kuroka's vomiting faded and the Nekoshou emerged from the bathroom.

"Kuroka are you sure you're okay?" Issei asked, causing Kuroka to tense.

She replied, her voice a bit shaky. "I-I'm okay Issei you do not need to worry. I already feel better than I did yesterday," She lied hoping Issei would leave it at that.

He looked at her as if searching for any indications that would prove otherwise before he shrugged it off and spoke. "We should probably hurry up because Vali told me last night that she wanted us all to come to the main hall when we wake up and I don't think that making her wait too long will be such a good idea," He shuddered as thoughts of Vali beating him into oblivion for being late entered his mind.

When Issei entered the shower Yasaka's gaze immediately turned to Kuroka.

"You know you'll have to tell him soon. I could tell that he was feeling that something was off with your "sickness" and it won't be long before he presses the issue when he sees that it's not getting better,"

Kuroka sighed in resignation as she spoke. "I know, I know, but it doesn't make it easier. Sometimes I want to hit him for his selflessness, but that's his most charming trait, and I do not want it to change. Still, I think I'll tell him tomorrow as I'll spend today to prepare myself for that mentally,"

Yasaka smirked. "And I'll make sure to help you as much as I can. Still, seeing the bold, shameless Kuroka reduced to a shy teenager trouble me greatly and I want to begin repressing those memories as soon as possible,"

Kuroka scowled at Yasaka as she gave her the finger in reply while inside she was grateful for the Nine-Tails Youkai for being her friend.

After Issei emerged from the shower, clueless about the news that he will hear tomorrow, the two girls woke Kunou up and the three took turns in showering before they left the room and went to the main hall where Vali and presumably the rest awaited them.

* * *

"Ah, I see you honored us with your presence," Vali sarcastically said as she glared at Issei and the girls.

Issei gulped. " S-Sorry about that I was pretty tired from last night," He told her.

Vali's gaze slightly softened. "Fair enough. I'll excuse you for this one time but don't test me again," She threatened before she motioned for them to join the others.

"So... What did ya drag us here for? I could've spent this time sleeping," Bikou inquired, his voice annoyed.

Vali scoffed. "You always sleep you lazy monkey," She remarked much to Bikou's ire and the others amusement.

"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you all about is our next course of actions. As you all know our fellow members of the Hero Faction were slaughtered by none other than Cao Cao. Currently, we have no knowledge about Cao Cao's current location or allegiance as someone like Cao Cao is bound to find another group. I know that you all feel the need to make him pay and I do too but we need to be smart about it. Cao Cao is a powerful man, and with the right allies, he could spell death for all of us here. I already planned the best course of action for us to take but I wanted to hear your opinions before I decided," Vali told everyone.

Much to the surprise of everyone, it was Ophis who spoke first. "They abused my gifts and did not help me with my goal. We should destroy them," Her usually unemotional voice was coated with a hint of anger.

"I think we should kick his ass," Bikou added grinning.

"Perhaps we shall attempt to talk to him first? To understand his motives better before we decide what to do?" Yasaka timidly asked.

"How about we-!" Issei began before he was suddenly cut off as a loud noise erupted in the room.

The noise was familiar for Issei. It was the same noise when a hole is created in a dimension.

Issei snapped his gaze upward towards the ceiling and his eyes widened when he saw a hole in the sky through the broken ceiling.

The one who intruded by making a hole in the dimension is a man with light-armor and cape. Issei narrowed his eyes as he saw him knowing exactly who the intruder was.

"It has been awhile Red Dragon Emperor, Vali," The man spoke with uncontained hatred as he landed in the middle of the room and glared at both Dragon Emperors.

Arthur redirected his gaze towards the intruder. "Shalba... Beelzebub. The leader of the Old-Maou Faction,"

Issei frowned when he heard Arthur speak of the man identity. This was the man who he saw during the incident with Diodora. But how was he still alive? The last Issei remembered of this man was killing him when he went into Juggernaut Drive.

"What are you doing here Shalba?" Vali asked.

"No hello? You wound me Vali! But to answer your question I'm here to retrieve something," He replied with a smirk before he suddenly vanished causing everyone to frantically look around.

"Ah!" A feminine cry resounded through the room causing everyone to snap their gaze toward it only to see Vali defending herself from Shalba.

"What's wrong!? Vali! What happened to your proud demonic-powers!? Your power of the White Dragon Emperor? What happened to it!? Fuhahahahaha! You are just a mixed breed with a human so there was no way for you to win against me who is the real Maou!" He taunted as he continued his onslaught.

"I don't want to hear it from you who names himself a Maou while borrowing the powers of others," Vali retorted despite her struggle.

"Fuhahahahahahahahah! It only matters if you win in the end! Now, I'll take the thing I wanted!" Shalba pointed his hand towards Ophis! A spiral demonic power appeared, and it wrapped Ophis up like a rope.

Shalba grinned. "Just like the information I received said! The current Ophis has an unstable power and even my current self can capture her! This is a gift to the cooperative partner of this I, the real Maou! I will have her give me a snake again since my powers are down! I will be taking her now!"

"Like hell, I will let you!" Issei bellowed as he assumed his Balance Breaker form and stormed Shalba with a speed like never before.

"A curse! This is a curse! I shall become the poison who will devour the Underworld!. Those devils who declined me! I have no business with such an Underworld! I don't care about them anymore! I don't care about the authority and possession of the Underworld anymore! Fuhahahaha! This Shalba Beelzebub shall use his last bit of power to destroy the Underworld together with the monsters!" He said while laughing madly.

This was no longer the descendant of an old Maou. This was no longer the man Issei fought while in Juggernaut Drive. This was a complete madman! His eyes no longer normal but instead filled with madness.

"Vali! We need to take Ophis back!" Issei shouted at his wounded friend.

"You're...You're right," She said as she struggled to regain her breath.

The two dived after Shalba just as the brilliant light enveloped him and Ophis taking the four of them to the Dimensional Gap.

When they all appeared Shalba was watching the two unplanned additions with a scowl plastered on his face as he held Ophis.

"I can understand Vali coming after me despite her injuries, but for a failure of a Heavenly Dragon such as yourself to come after me! How much do Dragons have to look down on me?!"

"What is your reason for coming after me!? Are you also trying to ignore me, one who carries the blood of the real Maou!? Or are you trying to obtain power by having Ophis!? It's you who is a Heavenly-dragon! You must be hiding the desire to dominate the human world and Underworld!" He asked further.

Issei sighed as he realized that all Shalba cares about is bloodlines and domination.

"Even if you say something complicated that I don't understand. You take my friend and tried to hurt the others and for that, I will never forgive you," Issei told him while pointing his finger at him.

"The pressure coming out from you has increased. You are a Heavenly Dragon who acts in ways I can't possibly understand. Well then! Get tainted from my curse and die in this dimensional gap, Red Dragon!" Shalba uttered.

"You are the one that is going to die you, lowly Devil!" Issei venomously replied as he continued to increase his powers.

 _'It's time to show my trump card!'_ Issei thought as he remembered the fruits of his four-week training.

 **"I, the one to awaken am the Red Dragon Emperor who holds up the truth of the King up-high!"**

 _ **["Let's go Hyoudou Issei!"]**_

 _ **["Yeah that is right! We are the Red Dragon Emperor who protects the future of those we care about!"]**_

 _ **["It is the time to walk the crimson road of regal righteousness!"]**_ The voices of the past possessors of the Boosted Gear spoke.

 **"Holding the infinite hope and indestructible dream and walking the road of royal righteousness. I will become the Emperor of the Crimson Dragon and the King of the Blue Dragon"**

 **"And I will lead you to the path of the Heavenly Kingdom glowing with the true Crimson and brilliant Blue lights!**

 **[{Cardinal of the Heavenly Dragon King!}]** The voices of Ddraig and Tiamat roared.

Shalba pointed his hands at Issei and a warp was created and bugs... No, not bugs but bees. Something that looks like bees appeared and covered the whole area.

"I will show you the power of the real Beelzebub!" Shalba cried.

Shalba then controlled the army of bees in creating many circles and he then started to randomly shoot out enormous masses of aura from them!

 **"Star Sonic Booster!"** Issei used his new ability to instantly dodge and close the distance between Shalba and him before he released a punch aimed directly to his stomach.

Shalba coughed out blood. "You low lifeee!"

Shalba created many magic-circles that reminded Issei of Rossweisse. He shot out a full burst of different elemental attacks! But each and every one of his attacks was thick!

Issei did not dodge the attacks but instead rushed forward while hitting them away. He shorted their distance using his new speed and released his fist at him again.

 **"Solid Impact Booster!"** A gigantic fist hit Shalba in the face which caused blood to come out from all over his face.

Seeing the extent of the damage Issei dealt Shalba, Vali spoke with a bored voice.

"Is this it?"

Veins appeared on Shalba's face. "What?

"You said you were a Maou, so I thought you had power like that of Sirzechs and Vali. I battled both of them so I can understand the power of the Maou "Lucifer". But I don't feel any strong pressure from you like I did from them." Issei interrupted not caring that the Beelzebub descendant was pissed.

Shalba laughed loudly. You sure say a lot! A mere rotten Dragon! A former human who is the same as garbage, to make a fool of this real Maou!"

Issei ignored Shalba's pathetic taunts and said. "Shalba. You may have great talent and demonic-powers. You were born with things greater than me,"

"That's right! I am a Devil that was chosen! A Maou! The real Maou!"

"But its no good. Your attacks are nothing compared to others I've fought! You won't be able to defeat me with attacks like that! If you shoot your demonic powers, I hit them away. If I punch you then your body curves. I shoot down your creepy bees with my Dragon shot as well! I am at an advantage here Shalba!." Issei uttered while Vali laughed.

"You shitty Heavenly Dragon! How about this then"

While sprinkling blood, Shalba created a magic-circle within his hand. What appeared from there were...two arrows?

It flew at the two Dragon Emperors at high velocity and hit Issei in his right arm and Vali in her shoulder and pierced their armors.

They tried to pull out the arrows when a wave of intense pain hit the both of them.

Through Issei's arm and Vali's shoulder. Intense pain spread throughout their bodies. At the same time, it felt like their powers were leaving them. Their hands began to shake uncontrollably.

"What is this?" Issei whispered through the pain.

Shalba laughed at the scene in front of him. "Fuhahahahaha! It's painful right!? It's hard to endure right!? Of course! The tip of that arrow is covered with the blood of Samael! I received it from Hades! If you have high demonic-powers like Vali then you could have endured it a bit. But for someone like you who seems to have no talent in demonic-powers, then you will die," Shalba gleefully replied.

"I see. Samael's blood. This is the poison and curse of the Dragon-Eater. Wait, you allied with Hades?" It was Vali who spoke.

This was the first time Issei was on the receiving end of a dragon-slayer damage. His body was cold, and in pain, shaking.

 ** _['It even reached here Partner. It's so strong that I lost my consciousness for a time. Tiamat is still unconscious']_** Ddraig spoke in Issei's mind.

The brunette widened his eyes in response. It even reached Ddraig and Tiamat who were just souls!

Meanwhile with Vali things were the same as Albion roared in anguish as well shocking Vali as she knew that he was just a soul.

A tear escaped her eye. _'Is it the end? After everything, we went through? I would've happily embraced my death if only I would've gotten to experience the happy ending I wanted to have with Issei and the other girls,'_

While the two emperors suffered through the pain that was even more unbearable than the pain that a Holy Sword can inflict on a Devil Shalba smirked wickedly as he took the suffering of the two with great joy before he attempted to escape with Ophis.

Unfortunately, his attempt at escape was noticed by Vali who despite the pain managed to close her distance to Shalba and deliver a punch to his face that threw him back before she used her Lucifer powers to get rid of Shalba.

"Ahhhhhhhh" Shalba's howls resounded through the Dimensional Gap as he was enveloped in the crimson aura of Vali's powers.

"He's gone," Vali said as she gasped for air.

She turned around to look at the man who captured her heart only for it to break when she saw his condition.

It was clear to her that at best Issei only had a few more minutes to live and she wasn't far behind him. Due to her unique heritage, she was able to endure Samael's curse longer but it did not mean that she was immune to it. No, it only meant that her death was delayed.

She used the last of her strength to approach Issei and enveloping him in a tight hug.

"V...Vali," He struggled to say as the helmet of his Balance Breaker shattered and he violently coughed up blood.

"I know... I know that we said we'll wait until the time is right; until we'll both be completely healed but please for the short time we have left let us act as if that time has come," Vali pleaded as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Issei gave her a watery smile before he wiped off the blood from his mouth. "If we're going to die then lets at least do it with a smile on our face," He told her.

Their eyes met, and at that moment everything they felt for each other was clear as the morning sky.

"I love you, Vali. Now and forever,"

"I love you, Issei. Now and forever,"

They took each other in a kiss that was full of passion and love as all their emotions even those they struggled to suppress or vanquish poured into the kiss.

Reluctantly, they broke the kiss and gave each other the brightest smile they could as they held each other hand.

They lamented the abrupt ending of their lives and their hearts broke when they thought about everyone's reaction to their death. They would've done everything to return to their friends but it wasn't meant to be. They accepted their death none the less as in their last act they saved a part of their evergrowing family from a gruesome fate while they eliminated a threat that could've haunted their family even after their death.

They looked around the Dimensional Gap. The place where Ophis used to reside before Great Red interrupted her solitude. This was a place that even beings who lived hundreds of years could never hope to see the entirety of it. They silently thanked the true Red Dragon Emperor knowing that it was his interruption that allowed them to meet Ophis.

Drawing their last breaths they averted their gaze towards each other for the last time and gave each other one last smile before they knew no more.

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!_**


	23. United

**_AN: Hey guys and welcome to the Twentieth Three chapter of "Switching Sides."._**

 ** _I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!_**

 ** _I also want to apologize for the time it took me to update the story and I will make my utmost to make sure the next update won't take as long as this one was. I am also happy to say that the story is nearing its end and that only a few more arcs remain._**

 ** _I also think that now is the time to officially announce the entirety of the harem in this story. The members of Issei's harem are Yasaka, Kuroka, Ophis, Vali, Le Fay, Rossweisse, and Venelana Gremory._**

 ** _On another subject, those of you who are fans of "Harry Potter" would perhaps be interested to know that I recently published a new Harry Potter story._**

 ** _Also, my other stories (mainly the Bleach and Fairy Tail ones) will also be updated in the close future so be on the lookout for that!_**

 ** _My Naruto story that I also announced in the last chapter is also being worked on but it takes a lower priority than the other stories mentioned above._**

 ** _Now, without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!_**

"..." Talking.

 _'...'_ Thoughts.

 _"..."_ Quotations.

 ** _"..."_** Attacks.

*...* Actions, i.e., Yawning and Sighing.

 ** _(...)_ ** Flashback and time skips.

 _ **["..."]**_ / ** _{"..."}_** Talking through the Sacred Gear.

 _ **['...']**_ / _**{'...'}**_ Talking in the Host mind.

 ** _[...]_ / **_**{...}**_ Sacred Gear Actions and modes.

 **"..."** Sacred Gear evolution trigger i.e., Juggernaut Drive chant.

* * *

Absolute Darkness. That was all they could see.

It was as if they were in a deep sleep but without the dreams that usually accompanied it.

Time continued to flow but for them, it felt as if it never did. They felt as if they were hovering in their place, but the feeling of their body was nonexistent as if the only thing that remained of them was their conscious and self-awareness. They tried to will it to move, to give a wave with their hand, to shake their head, to conjure a sound with their mouth, but nothing happened.

They did not know how long has passed since they woke up to the darkness where nothing existed even sound.

Hours, or perhaps it was only minutes passed before something happened.

They heard a chorus of voices, barely above a whisper resounding all around them.

"Wake up. It's time to wake up," The voices told them, urging them to wake up.

But they were already wide awake... Didn't they?

They had little to no time to ponder this as all of a sudden, a brilliant light vanquished the darkness and blinded them.

Upon fluttering their eyes open yet again they were greeted not by darkness but by a void that consisted of a mix of iridescent colors.

They knew this place! After all, how could they forget it? It was the Dimensional Gap. The place where Ophis was born, the place where Great Red lives, and most importantly the place that marked their untimely death.

Bewildered, the two looked through the Dimensional Gap in vigor before they gasped in surprise as they realized that they could once again feel their body.

A brief look downward gave them the answer they were seeking when they witnessed that the body they felt was their Balance Breaker scale mail.

"What is going on?!" They asked themselves in utter confusion.

"You're awake," The two yelped in surprise upon hearing an answer to their question.

Turning around they saw that it was none other than Ophis who spoke but upon seeing who was behind her their jaws dropped in awe.

Ddraig, Albion, Tiamat... They were all there behind Ophis, free from their container and flying around like the majestic Dragons they are.

A question popped into their mind when they saw that all the Dragons were present.

 _'If they were all here then where was Great Red? After all, this is his home?'_ They asked themselves.

As if reading their minds, it was Ddraig who answered, stopping midflight to hover before them.

"The Great one is here as well. Didn't you notice that you are standing on something solid rather than floating around in the Dimensional Gap?" He asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Looking down towards the ground they saw that Ddraig was right; they were standing on something solid and that something was Great Red!

"What is going on? How are we alive? The last thing I remember is us dying from Samael curse," It was Issei that asked them the question that burned in his and Vali's mind since they first woke up.

Issei widened his eyes as his answer came for it came not from the Dragons before him but from the one, he was standing on.

"I think I shall be the best one to explain what happened, youngling," Great Red's mighty voice echoed through the Dimensional Gap, instilling a sense of fear into the two emperor's hearts due to the might it held.

"When you and Albion's host perished from Samael curse both your Dragons managed to draw your souls into your Sacred Gears before your bodies were destroyed, giving you a temporary new body in the shape of your scale mail," Great Red began before he was abruptly cut off by Issei.

"What!? You mean to tell me that this is my new body? B-But... I have no feeling in my hand and down... there. How could I ever hope to experience the amazing feeling of a girl's boobs again? Or worst, how would I ever get to experience the joys of sex if I have nothing down there?!" He cried out, causing Vali, and the two Heavenly Dragons to sweatdrop.

With a laugh Great Red replied. "If you would've paid more attention to my words you would've realized I said that the armour is only a temporary body and not a permanent solution. No, while you two were still unconscious Ophis and I did something entirely unprecedented. I, the Strongest Existence, gave her a piece of my flesh and after using her powers on it Ophis, the Infinity Dragon, had conjured new bodies for you. You are our children, born from our flesh and powers. Your appearance will remain the same as it was prior to your rebirth but there is something we have to tell you, something you have to hear,"

Great Red quieted down while Ddraig, Vali, Tiamat landed near Ophis to face the two Emperors.

It was Albion who spoke, his voice hard which showed just how serious the words he was about to say were. "When your bodies were destroyed something unusual happened during the short time before we contained your bodies in the Sacred Gears. Your souls... They joined together. For a brief moment, they became your souls became one and the same; they merged into one soul instead of two. When we drew your souls into the Sacred Gears we managed to separate the souls again due to the natural pull each of your souls has towards your specific Longinus, but it was then that we noticed that your souls were different than they usually were. I suddenly began to feel a pull towards Issei while Ddraig and Tiamat began to feel a pull towards Vali as well,"

Issei and Vali stood there rooted to their spot as they looked at the Dragons with wide eyes and jaws unhinged.

"W-What does that mean?" Issei asked with a voice barely above a whisper.

Ddraig, who heard his partner question, replied. "It means that you bonded on a level unlike before. A part of Vali's soul lives inside you while a part of yours lives inside her. It means that you now have Albion's powers at your disposal as well as while Vali has mine and Tiamat's. It means that you can now communicate with Albion while Vali can communicate with me and Tiamat through your Longinus's. Granted, they're not as strong as the real thing but they are not something to joke about either. In short, you are now united. You two are the Emperors of the Heavenly Dragons and with that title, you managed to bring an end to my and Albion's feud. It was thanks to you that we stopped fighting and instead joined for the same purpose which is to protect our hosts. Just look at each other carefully and you'll see the changes your soul has undergone and the powers you received,"

Both Issei and Vali did as the Dragon said and took a careful look at each other before gasping in surprise.

Issei's scale mail looked almost the same with the large exception of a few things with the biggest of them all being the new pair of Divine Divide's wings that were the same as the original with the exception of their frame which was colored red instead of white. His chest piece remained the same crimson, but his thighs had turned into pale blue while his legs turned to the same white as Vali's scale mail. His hand that hosted the Boosted Gear remained the same as it was during his Third Liberation but the jewel that occupied his shoulder, the same jewel that remained unchanged when he first acquired this mode was now colored blue just like Vali's own jewels while the fires within all the jewels had another layer surrounding it as the layer of pale blue fire that surrounded the original was now surrounded by white fire. Meanwhile, the entirety of Issei's other hand was now colored in white while the jewels on it changed to the same color as Vali's just like it was when he absorbed Vali's broken jewel and acquired the Divide ability back then. His helmet also remained the same with the exception of the spikes that protruded from it which were now colored in pale blue while his emerald eyes were now white.

Meanwhile, Vali's scale mail looked just like Issei's with the exception of the colors being reverted. Her Divine Divide's wings were now red while the frame remained white. Her thighs turned pale blue while her legs and hands turned crimson red while the golden shoulder pieces remained the same gold. Her tail was now pale blue while her helmet remained the same white except for her eyes which were now emerald green.

If Vali had her own body, she would've already been in tears as she witnessed the final and definitive telltale for her relationship with Issei.

They were now united beyond the comprehension of normal humans for they were united in body, soul, and mind.

"What does this mean then?" Vali inquired after getting over her shock.

"Ddraig, my child, do you remember our talk back then when I gave you my blessing?" Ophis asked, seeming to ignore Vali's question.

As for Issei, both him and Ddraig were gobsmacked by Ophis show of affection. The Ouroboros Dragon, a being born from the "nothingness" of "infinite", a being who's the concept of emotions and intimacy are nonexistent since the day of her creation, addressing Ddraig and Issei as their child was the ultimate show of just how much the Emperor's rebirth has changed.

"Y-Yes, I remember our talk Ophis," Ddraig stammered as he thought back to Ophis' words that day.

"The bond you two share grow strong with each passing day, I can sense it. Soon, the two of you shall become one, and for the first time, the world shall witness powers like never before," As if reading his mind, Ophis recited the exact words she spoke that day.

"That day which I have spoken of has finally arrived. Ddraig, Albion, Tiamat; my children, after a long time you have finally become one. No longer are you divided by feuds or the devastating aftermath of a heartbreak and instead you stand together as one with your Emperors whose bodies are made of the flesh of the True Red Dragon God-Emperor and the powers of the Ouroboros in a unity unlike before. You possess powers that have yet to grace the world in the time of its existence and with those powers, you shall bring for a new age. An age where beings such as Dragons and humans shall leave in peace. An age where the three factions shall revel in peace and not wars. An age where the humans will know the truth about the world they live in. But the time for that age has yet to come as great evil still plague this world. An evil that you are tasked to get rid of and remedy the failure of those who tried before you for shall you fail then the world shall succumb to the Apocalypse led by the Morning Star's offspring actions. No longer are you separated by concepts such as "Domination", "Chaos", or "Supremacy" for your new existence brings to an absolute unification of those concepts. You are the Emperors of the Heavenly Dragons, King and Queen of Domination, Chaos, and Supremacy," Ophis spoke, again shocking everyone present into silence by the tremendous change she underwent.

The silence that enveloped the Dimensional Gap seemed to last forever until it was broken by Great Red's booming voice.

"Ophis' words speak the truth. Your new existence, my children, will bring for a major turning point in the universe unlike before. You will face many hardships on your way to facing the true definition of evil. As the Dragon of Dreams, I can see the hardships you'll have to face in your journey as their source still haunt the dreams of those related to it. But I possess no doubt that you shall emerge victorious from this fight as I've witnessed your dreams and the things I have seen within them shows me that your desire to make them come true will be the source of your powers and when you will gaze at the road ahead and lose your spirits as thoughts of your destiny being impossible to achieve surface, it will be the same resolve that shall show you the way,"

Everyone stood still as they digested the words of both Ophis and Great Red. With their untimely death at the hands of Samael, a power unlike before has been created and it was them who possessed said power. The tremendous responsibility that their new destiny and powers have brought did not escape them and they struggled to accept that weight on their shoulders, but they knew that protesting is not an option as both Great Red and Ophis has said that they'll soon face the definition of true evil led by the Morning Star's offspring.

So, with hearts void of doubt and resistance and full of acceptance and determination their rebirth has been complete.

It was Issei who spoke with a hard voice. "So, what now?" He asked.

"Now? Now you return to where you truly belong and begin your first steps towards fulfilling your destiny with the powers bestowed upon you," Great Red answered.

In a last act of defiance, Vali asked. "And why shall we listen to you? I may have embraced my destiny, but it was due to a lack of choice. My destiny, the one I have chosen for myself, was to defeat you and become the True White Emperor God with those I love standing by my side,"

There was silence after Vali's statement, but it was broken when everyone widened their eyes when they heard Great Red, the Dragon of Dragons, chuckle.

"I applause you for your bravery my child as you stand before me and state that which you desire but this came as no surprise of me as I have already seen your dreams and I know that they will not come to pass for the one you love the most will stand valiantly as my vanguard for this is the duty of the Red Dragon Emperor King while his loved ones will stand behind him and support him as he brings to your downfall. My child, the fight you desire to have will bring nothing but tragedy and heartbreak and I hope that you shall make the right choice for I have seen the change in your dreams from those that spoke of our fight and those are closer to being achieved than you think," He said causing Vali to gasp as the full impact of his words hit her.

Seeing as no reply will be made, Great Red spoke again.

"It is time for you to return my children. Once you pass through the portal you should regain feeling in your new body and Ddraig, Albion, and Tiamat shall return to their confines only this time they return willingly. We wish you luck in your journey and know that we shall always be with you," He assured them before he opened a portal from the Dimensional Gap for them to pass through.

With a last look towards those who have given them a second chance, whose bodies and powers course through their veins, their creators and new parents, the new Emperors of the Heavenly Dragons went through the portal.

* * *

While time seemed to be forgotten to those in the Dimensional Gap, it has been a week since Issei and Vali were last seen by their teammates as they entered the portal.

In the first day, they thought nought of it and instead wished them well in their noble rescue of Ophis. But as days gone by and there was still no sign from either of them they grew concerned and it was not much later that panic and despair joined with the concern.

At the end of the third day it was Arthur who uttered the words that they all dreaded to hear, his face ashen and his voice quivering.

"T-There's no chance that they survived in the Dimensional Gap for this long. Only powerful beings like Ophis and Great Red can survive a prolonged stay in the Dimensional Gap as every other being who is not protected will be vaporized from existence especially after two whole days. Add to the fact that they were facing Shalba Beelzebub and who knows what else,"

An anguished cry resounded through the room before a black blur bolted from the room followed by a blonde one.

Bikou stood to follow the two devastated girls but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from moving.

"Leave them," The Pendragon heir whispered softly as he observed his sister leave to join the girls. "They need time to grieve and you invading that time will only cause more harm than good. Let us grieve in our own way and let them grieve in theirs," With that, he motioned for Bikou to follow him as the duo left to drown their sorrow in alcohol as they exchanged tales of the brunette who managed to change their lives in such a short time.

* * *

"Why?! Why does it always have to be him?!" Kuroka bawled as she entered the safe confines of her room.

"Because it's always the good ones. They are the only ones who are willing to place their lives on the line selflessly for the sake of others while the wicked do so for their personal gains," Yasaka replied.

Hearing the Youkai's words and the truth in them caused Kuroka to snap. "But it isn't fair! After everything that he has been through. All the heartbreak, all the sorrow, you would think that some good will come his way. I just cannot do this anymore! He was my everything… He was my anchor to this world, the light that fended off the darkness in me… He was my best friend, my lover, he held me when I was at my lowest and supported me when I was at my highest. He filled the hole in my heart caused by Shirone. And now… Now he's gone! Never will I be able to hear his voice or feel his touch, never will I be able to see his face when he flashes that brilliant smile at me or the eyes full of love whenever he looks at me," She choked out between her sobs.

Yasaka looked at her best friend and a part of her family with eyes full of sorrow as the same pain the Nekoshou felt was mirrored by Yasaka.

She wrapped Kuroka in a tight embrace before she whispered comfortingly in her ear.

"You are wrong, you know. You still have us to help you get through this and we will not allow you to give up for you have so much to live for. Know that Issei will not be gone from this world as his very legacy grows inside you. I can feel it, the powers your child holds are truly remarkable and in time he will surpass his father. I know the pain is overwhelming Kuroka and giving up seems so much easier but it's not. Think of your unborn child and the family you still have around you and do your very best to move forward,"

"How can you say this?" Kuroka snarled. "How can you tell me to try and move forward when his death is so fresh? I think of the way Issei died, not aware that his child grew inside me, and it fills me with self-loathing as I think that if only I told him then perhaps something would have been different,"

"I am not telling you to move on for it is not something that is possible. We can never move on from Issei's death. What I meant is that you should not allow the grieve to take you down and instead continue to live. Raise your son to be great as his father was. Honor his memory by telling his child about him. Issei wouldn't have wanted you to sink into despair for him. No, he would've wanted you to continue living just like wishes for the rest of us," Kuroka's sobs only grew as she listened to Yasaka.

Finally, after managing to relax a little, Kuroka spoke. "At least Issei died with someone who loves him by his side. I may have never expressed it, but you and Vali are my best friends. It pained me when I saw the love she held for Issei and how he couldn't reciprocate it, but I never said anything because it wasn't my place. I just hope that in their last moments they managed to make things right and allow themselves the happiness they deserve,"

Yasaka flashed Kuroka a watery smile as quiet settled down in the room. It wasn't long after that a devastated Le Fay entered the room followed by an equally broken Kunou. No words were said, and no gestures were made as the two girls joined the embrace of Issei's lovers and together they grieved for their loss.

* * *

It was two days later, five days after Issei and Vali entered the Dimensional Gap, that they all met in the Main Hall.

The same line of thoughts passed through their minds as they gazed at the pathetic state they were in and how Issei would not wish them to be that way.

"You all know why we're here right?" Bikou asked, his voice harsh.

Seeing their collective nod, it was Arthur who took off where Bikou left. "There is no doubt in my mind that Cao Cao and his new friends had a hand in Issei's death. It's clear that there are much bigger forces here at play than what we initially thought, and we shall do our utmost to discover everything we can, so we could avenge Issei's death," He spoke with eyes blazing with determination.

"That's nice and all, but how are we going to find that bastard?" Kuroka growled.

Arthur chuckled. "That's easy, they'll attack the Underworld in the next couple of days," He said much to everyone's bewilderment.

"How exactly do you know that huh?" Kuroka asked accusingly as she jabbed a finger at Arthur's chest.

Unfazed by the accusation, he spoke. "I know this because that's what they'll do. Cao Cao always wanted to prove that humans were transcended to the supernaturals as evident by his creation of the Hero Faction. So, think, if Cao Cao was indeed behind Issei and Vali's death then what will he do? He will take that as a sign that his agenda was true and will attempt to enforce it even further by attacking a place like the Underworld after he announces his recent achievements as the definitive proof as a slight against the supernaturals,"

"That… Makes complete sense actually," Yasaka spoke as she and the rest just stared at Arthur with wide eyes.

"So, what should we do? I think we should prepare ourselves, so we could kick ass," Bikou proclaimed with uncontained glee.

"Nyaa, as much as I resent it I agree with the monkey," Kuroka taunted.

"Hey!" Bikou huffed indignantly.

Ignoring the banter, Arthur voiced his support of Bikou's idea and told the rest that they'll meet again in the Main Hall in the following day to go over the possible plans to execute the plan and for the meantime, they should train.

Another two days filled with endless training and planning passed before Arthur's theory proved to be completely true as in the middle of the day signs of the Underworld being attacked made their way to them.

"It's time, Cao Cao and his friends have begun their attack," Arthur spoke to everyone as they gathered in the Main Hall.

During their time planning it was decided that Kunou would accompany them to the battlefield but she will have to remain hidden from sight and close by to any of them.

At first, they wanted to leave Kuroka behind to guard Kunou due to her pregnancy but after the Nekoshou's vehement resistance they decided against it.

On the other hand, Yasaka went ballistic when she found out that her daughter will have no choice but to come with them and it took at least a hundred promises by her daughter to remain hidden at all time before she regained her cool.

As everyone got ready for the fight ahead of them, the same thought went through their minds.

They'll fight as valiantly as Issei and Vali did, and they will make them proud as they get their vengeance on those who were behind their untimely death.

And with a final battle cry, they went to the Underworld.

* * *

Chaos. That's the best way to describe the way the Underworld looked upon their arrival there.

There were forces of each of the Three Factions fighting as a united front against the horrors that Cao Cao and his accomplices unleashed.

There were Dragons flying around the Underworld setting fire to the various buildings and forests that once stood proudly in their full glory.

Then, there were the abominations. It looked as if it was a fruit of someone's nightmare coming to life. Some of them stood on two feet while some stood on all four which made their appearance to heavily resemble that of a Chimera. But the similarity to the Chimera was not the worst thing about those abominations. No, it was the fact that they were also mixed with parts of different creatures.

Then, there was the "Jabberwocky" as the United Forces of the Factions named called them, who were the biggest monsters there while the other twelve monsters who were different than the Jabberwocky were named "Bandersnatch" by the Forces.

It looked as if the fighting was already being going for quite a while as the damage was far too great for it to just have recently started.

The Capital City of the Devil side, Lilith, was already in half ruins while most of the forces protected it as the civilians evacuated.

"Clearly, they are thinking with their minds," Arthur noted, his gaze impassive as he scanned his surroundings.

Upon the curious looks he received by his comment he sighed before he launched into an explanation.

"The forces are not driven by their emotions despite the destruction and carnage all around them. Instead, they do as they should, and they focus on protecting the populated areas while the innocents are being evacuated,"

"Enough about that!" Kuroka growled. "We should focus on finding that bastard Cao Cao and his buddies,"

"I agree with Kuroka on this one. We came to kick ass and not talk," Bikou added.

With that, Kuroka and the rest began their search.

As they scanned the Underworld they saw the Gremory peerage as well as the Sitri peerage engaging members of the Hero Faction, mainly Georg, Heracles, and Jeanne.

Seeing as they had no intentions of interacting with their old comrades the group continued while hoping for once that both Gremory and Sitri will emerge victoriously.

A few minutes later they saw "The Strongest Queen" engage in a brutal fight against one of the Jabberwocky and appeared to be winning.

And then, they saw it.

It seemed to look like a human but other than the shape it looked nothing like one. Instead, it looked like a condensed Power of Destruction, the same as that of Rias Gremory. But it wasn't the same as that of the Crimson Princess. No, this was much more powerful and much wilder as it looked to be spreading explosively and involuntarily from his body.

It took them a few moments but once they pieced the pieces together they realized with a startled gasp that the humanoid figure was none other than Sirzechs Lucifer.

Beside him stood Azazel who looked to be a bit awed by the sight as well but also relieved for some reason as if he came to realize something that made him be much at ease.

Before the two stood a skeleton dressed in attire worn by high priests and a creepy aura.

He had no eyes, but his empty sockets glowed causing it to look as if he did have eyes.

"Hades…" They all heard Arthur muttering with utter disdain causing their eyes to widen as the identity of the skeletal man was found out.

Hades, the God of the Realm of Dead. Just the mere thought of him made them all shudder. But what was he doing here? Why was he facing off against the leaders of the Devils and the Fallen Angels?

And then it hit them like a ton of bricks. Hades was here because he was a part of Cao Cao's group. They were filled with rage as they looked at him knowing in their hearts that this man had a large hand in Issei's death.

They wanted to destroy him, to break off his skeletal figure and spread the pieces worldwide as to make sure he will never be reborn. They wanted to see the eerie glow in his eye sockets die.

But they knew that he was entirely out of their league. They knew nought about him other than his title and name and to make matters worse he was a God!

It was a defeated sigh that the group left the scene as they muttered a silent good luck to the two leaders.

* * *

It took them some time but, in the end, they had managed to find him.

He was standing atop of a mountain that had a clear view to Lilith and the ongoing war in the once glorious Capital City.

He looked the same as they remembered him from the times before his defection only now his face was that of a war-hardened man instead of the ambitious leader he once was.

He was not alone as another man stood beside him. He looked to be a middle-aged man in his 40's with dark silver hair and beard, and hazel eyes. They couldn't help but compare the man to how Vali would've looked like should she have been born as a male. His aura felt bottomless and creepy. His appearance mimicked that of Sirzechs as his attire was the same with the only difference being the color which was silver.

The two seemed to be in a heated discussion clearly not noticing them before the silver-haired man abruptly stopped his words and began to laugh.

"It seems as if we have some company, Cao Cao," He said, his voice excited as if he just won a prize.

Cao Cao turned around and widened his eyes as he saw his old comrades.

"So, I see that you weaklings have survived," He sneered at them. "Such a shame. I would've killed you back when I killed all the other weaklings, but fate deemed it not to be, but it also seems as if that time came now," His grip on his Longinus tightened.

"It's rich coming from you Cao Cao, seeing as you fled like a coward when we fought," Yasaka jeered as she glared at the raven-haired man with hate-filled eyes.

"You should've seen it as a blessing that I was needed elsewhere at that moment or else you wouldn't have stood here today,"

Yasaka snarled and went to attack him only to be stopped by Kuroka.

"Why are you stopping me?! They caused Issei's death! You should help me kill them instead," She growled at the Nekoshou.

Kuroka remained unfazed by Yasaka's outburst and instead answered in a calm voice.

"Nyaa, you are no fun Yasaka. Clearly, he wants you to recklessly attack him like you were about to do and what fun would it be to kill him if you were wounded first?"

Yasaka sighed and nodded knowing that Kuroka was right.

Cao Cao laughed. "It seems as if the cat grew a brain. I never thought that this day would come," He taunted.

Kuroka, being who she is, could not help but come with a snide retort. " Nyaa, it also seems as if the little boy with the big spear has gained some courage. I don't know if it's your spear that is compensating for some size issues down there or is it your new buddy that holds your hand that gave you your courage. I just hope that courage was not the only thing you gained and your lame fighting skills also improved if only slightly,"

Cao Cao became beet red be it from rage or embarrassment they couldn't tell but it was his friend that answered.

"As much as I enjoy seeing Cao Cao become flustered like that, I think that killing you would bring me much more enjoyment," He sent a powerful beam of Demonic power at them that they managed to dodge at the last second.

"Oh, you're on!" Bikou gleefully uttered before he went to attack with his staff only to be blocked halfway by Cao Cao's spear.

They fought one another, each struggling to gain the upper-hand as each time Cao Cao attempted to use one of his Longinus' powers Bikou struck with his staff which caused him to cancel the attack and block the hit.

Meanwhile, Kuroka and Yasaka were engaging the silver-haired figure with all their might.

Yasaka transformed into her Nine-Tail form and began to try to hit him with her appendages and her fire while Kuroka, using her Senjutsu, launched her own attacks from afar while also using her clones to help her to occasionally lung at him with the intent to strike him with her claws.

But nothing worked. Each attack was proficiently countered even Kuroka's poisonous mist and clones were disparaged as if it was nothing more than a mere bug to an elephant.

Same happened with Yasaka as each time she tried to strike him with her appendages he dodged her.

The attacks that did manage to strike him did little to no damage while his attacks did a considerable damage to the two Youkai.

A quick glance around showed Kuroka that Arthur had also joined the fight as he and Bikou engaged Cao Cao. But just like them, they appeared to be at a heavy disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Le Fay and Kunou were at the back, the latter being guarded by the former who also covertly used her magic to help them as much as she could.

One thing passed through their minds as they each fought their own battle. Things were not looking up for them.

* * *

It was quite a long time afterwards that the fighting has finally ceased between the two forces.

Kuroka and the others were all immobilized due to the heavy injuries they suffered from the battle. Wounds and blood littered their bodies as they struggled to keep standing and even conscious knowing that once they welcome the blackness it will remain forever.

Meanwhile, Cao Cao and the silver-haired figure stood although with difficulty. Their attire ripped in some places while wounds and blood also littered their bodies although much less than their opponents.

"I… It's not over!" Kuroka cried between her panting as she struggled to remain standing.

"Ah, but it quite is, silly kitten. You are barely able to stand let alone remain awake and you think you still stand a chance against us?" The silver-haired man taunted.

"W-We will avenge Issei! Even if we die we will make sure he will be avenged before we join him!" Yasaka wheezed.

"Just stop. You have been defeated. Just accept it and move on and join your friend. I remember the first time I saw a supernatural. I was just a small child living in poverty with his parents and my big sister. I used to be a believer, I still remember the many times I prayed to God that he will help my family to escape the poverty and to allow us to live a normal life. But it was not to be. Instead, my sister had grown very ill and my parents could not handle the stress of taking care of her and eventually they collapsed. Being the naïve child, I was I continued to pray with all my heart thinking that the hardships we faced were a test made by God to judge us. But then it happened. One day a strange man appeared, his behavior and attire were strange as if he was not from where I lived but I could not pinpoint from where he was as I have never seen something like that before. It wasn't until feathery wings emerged from his back that I realized that he was an Angel and that my prayers were finally answered. I still remember the look he gave me, it was one of sinister glee as if he was a little child that just got a candy from his parents before going to bully his siblings. I remember how his smile never went off his face even when he massacred my parents as if they were nothing but lowly animals. Even when his wings turned grey he continued as if he was in a trance. I remember hoping that this monster will go away and leave my parents alone and my prayer seemed to be answered as another man came and killed the monster who slaughtered my parents. Apparently, it was not enough for the man who I later discovered was a Stray Devil as after he finished the Fallen Angel he set his sight on my sister and I. My sister was the first to go as the sight of a "pathetically weak human" disgusted him. Just when the Stray Devil made his way toward me at an agonizingly slow pace I prayed one last time. I prayed for a way to be useful and make sure that the same tragedy that struck my family will never happen again. I wished for a way to make those who sinned against me to repay. It was when I made this final prayer that a brilliant light flooded the room vaporizing the Stray Devil and the dead body of the Fallen Angel as the True Longinus appeared in my hand for the first time. This is why I hate the super-naturals so much for they are nothing but monsters. When I laid my hand on the True Longinus and learned more and more about it I came to the conclusion that even God was disappointed in the way his offspring turned out and he bestowed the task of their extermination on me knowing that I was worthy enough to complete this task and that I will never waver in my path nor will I ever spare any means to achieve it. Seeing you lying defeated at my feet fills me with the same glee that Fallen Angel had when he killed my parents for my goal is proven to be right. It is not the duty of men and women to bow to the super-naturals, but it is the duty of the super-natural to bow to us for we are the true children of God. He deemed us worthy while you shamed him with your corruption and wickedness. But he knew, he knew that us humans cannot hold a candle to you, so he gifted us with tools of his own creation. He gifted us, the humans, with the Longinus'. As you spend your last moments lament about the fact that you could not stand a chance against the might of the human-kind as we are God's chosen,"

He spat at them and turned around to leave with the silver-haired man.

 _'Issei… Vali… We failed you… We could not avenge you… Now, now we will join you. All of us, even your unborn child, will join you and Vali in the afterlife. I just hope that you will find it in your hearts to forgive us,'_ Kuroka thought as the blackness continued to consume her vision.

"I love you Issei… Now and forever," Kuroka uttered her last words before she allowed the darkness to consume her.

"I love you Kuroka… Now and forever," Kuroka heard a familiar voice replied causing her to overcome the darkness and snap her eyes open before screaming in utter shock at the sight before her.

There he stood, the same man she fell in love with. The man whose child grow in her womb. The same man who is everything for her in life.

He stood, all might and powerful while Vali stood behind him keeping vanguard.

He was the same as he remembered but at the same time, he looked entirely different. Both he and Vali were clad in their Scale Mails, but they were not the same as she remembered. Instead of being Crimson, Issei's Scale Mail was now a combination of Crimson, White, and Pale Blue while Vali was the same.

She smiled widely as she comprehended the impact of the changes.

After all this time, they had gotten their happy ending before they set off to their new life together.

Shocked gasps beside her made her realize that everyone else also witnessed Issei and Vali's shocking arrival.

Issei gave them all a radiant smile before he turned to Vali.

"Vali, can you make sure they are healed? I have some pests to exterminate," He said, his voice harsh as he spoke.

Vali tore her gaze from the silver-haired man and nodded at Issei before making her way to her friends to heal them.

"Remind me to break Shalba when I next see him," The silver-haired man asked Cao Cao.

"Shalba is dead," Issei replied.

"I see. That's a shame, but I guess it's better you did it rather than me," He shrugged.

"Enough!" Issei bellowed. "You have hurt my friends and brought them to the brink of death and for that, I will never forgive you! I used to see you as a friend Cao Cao but now I realize that you are nothing more than a traitorous coward,"

Cao Cao did not reply and instead continued to look at Issei impassively.

"And you!" Issei turned his attention to the silver-haired man as Vali, who finished healing everyone came to stand beside him. "I know who you are! All the pain and suffering you have caused are unforgivable! I want to make you pay for your actions, but that's not the reason why I burn with unrestrained rage when I gaze at you. No, it is because of what you did to your granddaughter! Someone that I love dearly, someone who had trouble accepting my love thinking that she is broken and is undeserving of me. She wanted to get rid of her demons before she even entertained the thought of us being together but that was not meant to be as we died before she could've done that. But we were given a second chance in life and now we are back more powerful than ever, and I will make sure to stand beside her and help as she finally vanquishes the horrors of her past. Know that you will die hated and unloved with your goals torn asunder. Know that your name will never be remembered. For this is your end… Rizevim Livan Lucifer!"

* * *

 ** _AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review!_**


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